News

Energy Smackdown™ Announces Final Results

The Energy Smackdown™, a community-based energy efficiency contest, held its Season Two Finale Wednesday, June 17th at the Regent Theatre in Arlington, Massachusetts...

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Results of the Light Bulb Challenge

Over the weekend of March 21-22nd, the Energy Smackdown teams competed to replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents—measured as total wattage saved...

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Energy Smackdown™ Announces Results Of Air Sealing Challenge

On March 7th, the Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET) and the Energy Smackdown combined forces to weatherize two low-income homes identified by Homeowners Rehab, Inc.

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New York Times story, January 31, 2009

"Utilities Turn Their Customers Green, With Envy"
A frowny face is not what most electric customers expect to see on their utility statements, but Greg Dyer got one. He earned it, the utility said, by using a lot more energy than his neighbors.

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Cambridge Prevails in the First Round of the Air-Sealing Challenge, January 2, 2009

The Cambridge Energy Busters chose a drafty house, identified the sealing opportunities and assembled a large team of volunteers to fill the cracks. It was a winning combination. After only three hours of work, the Energy Busters reduced air infiltration by 650 CFM...

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Energy Smackdown™ Participants Shares Tips, December 29, 2008

The Energy Smackdown™, a program of the BrainShift Foundation is proving that households and organizations can save plenty of energy by taking simple, low-cost measures -- and by supporting one-another...

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Energy Smackdown™ Announces Mid-Term Results, November 16, 2008

“We basically started being more thoughtful about things,” explained Pam Klein after it was announced that her family had achieved a 66 percent reduction in household energy use six months into the Energy Smackdown™...

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Cambridge Chronicle story, Tuesday, September 16, 2008

"Energy Smackdown teams take the gas out of gastronomy"
They came from…well not that far really, to serve up a banquet of local food with as much care paid to its impact on the environment as to its flavor. And they came to win.

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Locavore Banquet Asks Guests To Bring Their Own Dinnerware

In an effort to bring awareness to not only eating local food, but how it is served, participants are asked to bring their own plates, cups, utensils, and cloth napkins. Initially, coordinators of the event looked into renting tableware, but the cost was prohibitive. They also considered “green” disposables -- plates and utensils made from corn, soy or leaves that biodegrade over time.

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Community Teams Compete In Locavore Banquet

A group of New Englanders have found a unique and meaningful way to celebrate the harvest season. The Energy Smackdown™, a project of the BrainShift Foundation, is hosting its annual Locavore Banquet from 4 to 6 pm on Sunday, September 14th at First Parish Church in Arlington Center, MA.

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Boston Globe story, Sunday, August 17, 2008

"Neighborly competition"
Residents in 3 communities try to outdo each other in the Energy Smackdown: When Sarah Cluggish and her husband, Jason, noticed their family's energy bill rising last year, they took the fight to Tumbler, El Oso, Ten Pin, and Boss Stoutmore

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2008 Smart Transit Challenge Results

An amazing race meets energy efficiency! The Energy Smackdown™, a community-based energy efficiency contest, held its first annual Smart Transit Challenge on Sunday, June 22nd, at Seven Hills Park in Davis Square in Somerville. The goal of the challenge was to move many people efficiently over a course of 5 checkpoints.

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NECN story, Sunday, June 22, 2007

"Smart transit challenge"
With gas prices higher than they've ever been, more and more people are turning to different forms of transportation. The importance of that message was hammered home at an event in Somerville Sunday.

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Smart Transit: How, When and If At All

The business of coming and going has recently gotten a lot more complicated. First came
the evidence that we humans are contributing to global warming with disturbing and
potentially catastrophic consequences. How we choose to get around, we now know, has
a particularly toxic effect on our environment.

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Press Release, March 24, 2008

Save Energy, Save Money and Make Your Community A Better Place To Live
The Energy Smackdown™, a community-based reality contest and project of the 
BrainShift Foundation in partnership with the Kendall Foundation, National Grid, Nstar, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, Massachusetts Climate Action Network, the cities of Medford, and Cambridge and the Town of Arlington is looking to expand its carbon-reduction program.

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Christian Science Monitor story, January 9, 2008

Home energy use gets a 'smackdown' on reality TV
Most Americans know they should decrease their energy consumption, but many need a push to do it. Three families in this suburb north of Boston get that incentive by appearing on "Energy Smackdown," a reality TV show in which contestants competed to shrink their carbon footprint.

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Boston Herald story, Tuesday, August 28, 2007

"Cameras roll as Medford residents strive to conserve Energy”
It was anyone’s game: Team Eco-Cluggi tolerated the glare of compact fluorescent lights, biked to work and bought an energy-efficient freezer. Team van der Nou did all that, and began pricing a home-insulation upgrade. Impressive, until Team Moot/Roosa Productions came from out of nowhere with a composting initiative. Could energy conservation be reality TV’s next frontier?

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NECN story, Wednesday, June 7, 2007

"Mass. families engage in energy contest"
Three Mass. families are competing to reduce their power consumption. All it takes is some expert advice, high tech and a little common sense. NECN's Mont Fennel has their story.

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Boston Globe story, Thursday, March 8, 2007

"Finding folks to go green is a tough sell"
It began as a fun way to teach conservation skills: Find three Medford families to cut back on their energy consumption and award a prize to the family that saves the most

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