The Basics
Project 20/20 was started in spring 2008 by Brown University students to replace incandescent lighting with more efficient light bulbs, also known as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), with the goal of reducing carbon emissions in the greater Providence community. The students install CFLs, free of charge, in low to middle-income households in the community. Project 20/20 is also part of Brown’s Community Carbon Use Reduction at Brown (CCURB) project, reflecting the University’s commitment to providing leadership in mitigating climate change through a program of carbon emissions reductions in the larger community in which it is located.
The Strategy
CFLs have traditionally cost more than incandescent lights, and thus, are more difficult to market towards lower-income families. Project 20/20 helps overcome this barrier, by providing free CFLs to qualifying households and by educating the community on both the economic and environmental benefits of switching to CFLs. It is a win-win situation for all of the parties. Families benefit by saving $10-$15 a month on electricity bills and Brown University benefits by taking "credit" for the greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
The Program
Brown students, working with community members and faculty, are teamed up with Providence high school students to visit households who have requested these replacements. Having completed a very successful pilot phase in March, Project 20/20 is now ready to expand during the summer and the fall.
In the Media
August 12, 2008 Brown student project aims to install thousands of energy-saving bulbs in local homes | Providence Journal
August 11, 2008 Brown students light the way to energy efficiency | Providence Business News
July 28, 2008 Catalysts for Change | NYTimes
July 22, 2008 How many students does it take to screw in 7,000 lightbulbs? | Today at Brown
July 2, 2008 Transcript of CNN segment featuring Project 20/20 as it aired internationally
Spring 2008 Team
Mr. David Fox, project leader
Professor Steven Hamburg, faculty
Michael Glassman '09
Shane Easter '10
Yasmine Yu '10
Michelle Gantos '11
Steven Daniels, webmaster
Summer 2008 Team
Mr. David Fox, project leader
Professor Steven Hamburg, faculty
Keith DellaGrotta
Patrick Corey
Keiko Fukuda '09.5
Mariposa Garth-Pelly '08.5
Erik Duhaime '10
Libby Kimzey '09.5
Lindsay Mollineaux '09
Danny Musher
Eleonore deLusignan, marketing
Harry Lisabeth '10
Katie Jennings
Tess Hart '09
Lanny Fox '09
Malay Khamsyvoravong
Kelly Glaser
Liz Encarnacion '09
Khara Gresham
Ian Sims '09
O'Hara Shipe '08
Devin Calvert
Boaz Munro '09
Bryn Gonzales-Ellis '09
Paul Hiam
John Szymanski '09
Kate Ganim '08