Renew America Success Stories

Project Harambee

Description

Project Harambee (a Swahili word meaning "let's pull together") is a joint grassroots community effort of EarthBond and the Brown Village of the Atlanta Project to reduce pollution and increase energy and water conservation in Atlanta's Brown Village neighborhood.

Project Harambee distributed at no cost ultra-low-flush (ULF) toilets, low-flow showerheads, and energy conservation information to 340 residents. Local elementary schools participated in an environmental education program at the same time.

In addition, Project Harambee offered energy demand management kits to 100 residents. The energy conservation kits included a problem-solving fact book, compact fluorescent bulbs, water heater blankets, pipe insulation and caulking.

As a result, water consumption from the local Chattahoochee River has been reduced by more than 56,000 gallons a day and community residents are slated to save $200,000 over five years -- money that can be returned to the local economy.

The Brown Village neighborhood, which is served by Project Harambee, is one of the "clusters" that is a part of the Atlanta Project, created by former President Jimmy Carter. The Atlanta Project was created as a way to have people within the community solve the problems that concern them. Simply put, the community has the ability to decide what it needs.

EarthBond, an Atlanta-based environmental nonprofit organization, began a discussion with the Brown Village in 1992 to explore the possibility of developing a collaborative community project. The discussion process included a series of community forums and ultimately Brown Village executive council meetings to get community approval for the proposal. By following the Brown Village's "bottom up" approach to community empowerment, the program was a success and earned greater commitment and a sense of ownership by the residents than would have occurred otherwise.

Project Harambee has proven a win-win situation for all. The residents have saved money, the City of Atlanta realizes water savings and reduced pressure on the wastewater treatment facility, and jobs were created in the community during the implementation of the project, providing much-needed economic stimulation.

Program Highlights

Project Details

• Pre-registration for the program consisted of residents identifying themselves as having a need for a ULF toilet. Once the registrant was verified as a resident of Brown Village, they signed a Produce Release form obligating them to install the toilet within seven days, agreed to release their billing history to help evaluate the toilet's performance, and they agreed to allow the installation to be inspected.
• Participants received an ultra-low flush toilet that operates at 1.6 gallons per use, compared to existing toilets that used use as much as seven gallons of water per flush.
• More than 90% of residents installed the toilets themselves, excluding the elderly who received the services of Brown Village plumbers. Local plumbers agreed to install the toilet for $25, but most completed the work free of charge.
• Six community jobs were created during the implementation of the project. All residents engaged in employment were formerly unemployed individuals who assisted in program management, canvassing, customer service, physical distribution and tracking, and collection of old toilets.

• This project was replicated in a federally designated Empowerment Zone comprising several other Atlanta neighborhoods. In collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia Power Company, 1,500 ultra-low-flush toilets and 3,000 low-flow showerheads were distributed. Organizers anticipate savings of 30 million gallons of water and $160,000 each year.

Vital Statistics

Program Management/Partnerships: Project Harambee is managed by EarthBond, an Atlanta-area environmental nonprofit organization. Significant funding was received from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the City of Atlanta Water Department, the Turner Foundation, Southface Energy Institute, CTSI Corporation, and the people of Brown Village. Project Harambee formed partnerships with the CAMP/NAACP and Our Cousin's House to assist in project implementation. 

Budget: More than $50,000 in funding was received for the project, with thousands more reflected in in-kind donations, including expertise and labor.

Community Served: The residents of Brown Village, a community located in the southwest section of the City of Atlanta. The community comprises 29,000 residents who are primarily African-American and 26% of whom live below poverty level.

Measures of Success:

Residents will save more than $200,000 over five years a result of the installation of the new water-saving fixtures.

The Atlanta Water Department projects a savings of more than 6.1 million gallons of water annually.

The average participant will save $109.08 on his or her annual water bill.

The program will reduce atmospheric pollution by 80,000 pounds annually.

Wastewater requiring treatment will be reduced by 13,000 gallons a day.