If You See a Green Porch Light, This Is What It Means

Updated: Apr. 17, 2024

What does a green porch light mean? You may see them around your neighborhood for a very specific reason.

There are ways to show support for certain issues without outright telling everyone we meet. People use red porch lights to bring awareness to women’s heart health and teal Halloween pumpkins to show awareness of children’s food allergies.

Doing this is a great way to spark conversations about issues that deserve the spotlight without seeming in-your-face. That’s the case with green porch lights.

What Does a Green Porch Light Mean?

It started in 2013 with a campaign led by Walmart, called the “Greenlight a Vet Campaign.” This initiative worked to guarantee jobs for honorably discharged U.S. veterans after they returned home from service. In addition, Walmart also encouraged members of their communities to change their porch lights to green in order to show appreciation for veterans across the nation.

The campaign described the color green as symbolizing renewal and hope. With all of these positive ideas in mind, Walmart hoped to start a new conversation about U.S. veterans as valued members of every community.

So next time you’re out in the evening, look around. You may just see some neighbors lighting the night for veterans.

What’s the Best Light for My Porch?

When choosing outdoor lights, like a green light for your front porch, look carefully at the amount of lumens. The more lumens, the brighter the bulb. This 229-lumen bulb has a softer light and should generally work well for your porch. If you don’t have many lights outside, you may need to have your single light do the work of many. In this case, look for a light like this 720-lumen bulb.