Project: Bright Idea

Last year, the holiday lights twinkling from homes, businesses, and even boats were friendlier than in years past. I knew that as a result of my Project: Bright Idea, more than 1,200 out of the millions of bulbs in Boca Raton, Florida had been changed to CFLs – compact fluorescent light bulbs – that require only ten percent of the electricity of conventional bulbs. I exceeded my original goal of 1,000 light bulbs and won the state level of the Igniting Creative Energy Competition in the process. I founded Project: Bright Idea during my participation in the Pine Jog High School Environmental Fellowship Program at Florida Atlantic University. I believed I could make a difference in the local environment by asking people in Boca Raton, Florida to change a few simple behaviors. Beginning in early September 2006, Project: Bright Idea focused on educating my community about the benefits of Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs). My goals were to increase the community’s energy awareness, to reduce local impact on global warming, and to replace at least 1,000 incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs by December 2006. In the end, Project: Bright Idea exceeded its original goal with the switch of 1,274 light bulbs to CFLs! However, even though the deadline for my project has passed, the idea of Project: Bright Idea lives on. Anyone can become a part; it's as simple as making a trip to your local hardware store!