When the owner of an apartment complex opened his door to a Boy Scout troop giving away free compact fluorescent light bulbs, he turned around and handed them a check for $500 and said, "It's nice to see youth doing this type of work for the community."

The Boys Life magazine started its new "Going Green Heroes" campaign to recognize Scouts for their work in saving the environment, and Mandan Boy Scout Troop 54 was the first recipient of the award. The troop ranges from age 10 to 18.

"When the Go Green! committee was choosing a recipient of the award, these boys were way ahead of the game," said Chad Burgoin, Scoutmaster. "And it's nice for them to get some recognition."

Last year, Troop 54 of Mandan saved 113,928 kilowatts of energy, $11,393 in energy costs and put a stop to 90 tons of greenhouse gases through the Energy Star Change a Light Pledge program, according to Burgoin. Troop 54, with help from Cub Scout Pack 153, handed out more than 400 compact fluorescent light bulbs around the community for residents to replace less energy-efficient regular incandescent bulbs.

The main difference between florescent light bulbs versus incandescent light bulbs is the way they create light and consume energy. Fluorescent bulbs outlast up to 13 incandescent bulbs, and 90 percent of the energy consumed by the incandescent bulbs is wasted heat, according to the Lights of America.

This is the second year the Mandan Scouts have participated in the "Change a light, change the world" campaign, which is sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

This year, Troop 54 received a grant from Montana-Dakota Utilities to purchase 1,000 more compact fluorescent light bulbs. Unlike last year, when the troop went door to door bringing awareness on saving energy, this year they decided to bring awareness more to the elderly by passing out light bulbs.

"A lot of people don't realize the types of lights there are out there, and these boys are helping the environment by bringing that awareness," said Burgoin.