UNC Asheville freshmen are about to trade in their back-to-school fashions for coordinating tan t-shirts and work gloves.

This shift in fashion is sparked by the University's 11th annual community service day set for Tuesday, Sept. 11. Some 650 students, faculty and staff will partner with the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville and Appalachian Offsets to install energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs in the homes of Housing Authority residents, among other service activities. Students are expected to replace some 5,000 bulbs.

"We will work with UNC Asheville students to change all of the bulbs in three of our 10 developments," said Gene Bell, Housing Authority executive director. "This will be a big help for both the residents and the Authority to reduce our power bills and energy use. Over the next year, we hope to expand this to all of our developments."

Formerly known as Bulldog Day, UNC Asheville's Active Citizenship Together (ACT) in Asheville Day brings together the University with the City of Asheville to tackle local revitalization and beautification projects.

"UNC Asheville is part of the community and we want to emphasize that to our students," said Merritt Moseley, UNC Asheville Key Center Professor and faculty organizer of the event.

ACT in Asheville Day is held on the second Tuesday of September each year. This year, that day is September 11. The symbolism isn't lost on Moseley.

"By taking action for positive change in our local community, we are encouraging hopes, not fears," he said.

Appalachian Offsets, a program of the Western North Carolina Green Building Council, donated the bulbs, which were purchased with carbon-offset donations from area residents and businesses. Each replaced bulb will save more than 470 kWh of electricity and will save some 583 pounds of carbon dioxide and 17 pounds of sulfur dioxide from being released into the atmosphere, said Matt Siegel, director of the WNC Green Building Council.

"Participants in this project will be helping clean the air for the region's children and saving money for themselves and the Housing Authority," he said.

The Housing Authority of the City of Asheville, the largest residential property manager in Western North Carolina, serves more than 5,000 low-income citizens of Asheville and Buncombe County. Utilities are one of the Authority's biggest expenses.

ACT in Asheville Day begins at 8:15 a.m. in front of UNC Asheville's Justice Center, where Chancellor Anne Ponder will address the students. Work groups will then depart for their projects by bus. Students will return to campus around 12:45 p.m.