Here's What It Means When You See a Green Porch Light On at a Home

There are different ways to show solidarity with various groups and people you want to support. Sometimes, it's a bumper sticker that will leave an annoying sticky residue no matter how long and hard you try to peel it from your vehicle.

And some people change the color of their porch lights. You may have come across this a few times and wondered to yourself: What does a green, blue, or any other color porch light mean? We've got answers to put your mind at ease.

You can thank Walmart for this one. In 2013, the global retailer launched the "Greenlight a Vet" campaign that helps to find jobs for honorably discharged military servicewomen and men upon returning home. Walmart encouraged folks to change the color of their porch lights to green in order to raise awareness for the initiative while simultaneously thanking soldiers for the sacrifices they made.

Walmart stated that the color is supposed to embody "renewal and hope," but the more pragmatically minded of us would probably also add that it could also represent cold hard cash. You know, because the organization's all about helping vets get work.

Some also employed the usage of the green light during the COVID-19 pandemic to promote safe and healthy habits to help curb the coronavirus's spread.

Green isn't the only color that people are lighting up their porches with to make a statement, however.

This color carries a dual meaning. In some instances, folks shine a blue light in honor of autism awareness. The disorder is still one of the most misunderstood conditions in the field of medicine to this day.

Shining a blue light on a porch can also indicate that the homeowner is related to a police officer or is showing support for law enforcement.

It's not uncommon to see people lighting up their porches with red lights on either Halloween or in celebration of Valentine's Day, but there could be another reason that folks are shining a red light on their home in February: heart health.

The second month of the year is fittingly associated with raising awareness for heart conditions and encouraging people to get checked to ensure their tickers are in fine working order.

It was also wrongly reported in 2016 that a red light means you support gun reform and do not have any guns in your home. That would be a pretty unwise thing to broadcast out to the world, however, just in case the Sticky Fingers bandits are lurking around the neighborhood late at night.

In 2007, a Washington D.C. initiative was launched to raise awareness about domestic violence and launched the Purple Late Nights campaign. The color is most closely associated with calling attention to violent acts between family members and partners. In the U.K., shining a purple light is a sign of showing support for epilepsy awareness. Obviously, purple strobe lights are not encouraged.

So if you ever come across a porch with colored light or notice that a home changes it up at various times of the year, see if they line up with dates for any of the aforementioned causes.