Great thinking, Lindsay! Tip: to activate links in your post, hit the Update Entry button up there on the right, then follow the instructions here: http://bit.ly/oi_link

I love it! Everyone can use some encouragement to help out - and a reduction in the cost of a huge electricity bill would definitely get some people motivated.

I just finished 2.5 years as Health/Water and Sanitation Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) in Northern Ghana, and a fellow PCV is now working to show the international community what life is like without any (or enough) electricity:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/peterdicampo/life-without-lights?ref=live

As he explains in part of his video, "As energy prices dramatically rise in the UK, the country is pushed into a level of Fuel Poverty not seen in at least fifteen years. Fuel Poverty is defined as a household paying more than 10% of their income on energy bills. An estimated 7 million homes have recently fallen into this category. Rather than focus on off-grid communities, this chapter will explore the cost of energy, examining the lives of people who have no choice but to shut off their own utilities in order to avoid mounting debt. Local aid organizations are already alarmed at this increasing trend, and considering the country’s recent economic turmoil, worsening winters, and disappearing pensions, the situation is expected to become drastically worse. Reports estimate that this winter nearly 3,000 people will die cold-related deaths because of this issue. However, this is not a story limited to the very poor – even the middle classes will find themselves cutting their spending to pay their energy bills, often choosing between heating their homes or eating their next meals."

Creating incentives for planting a tree, shoveling your neighbor's driveway, or cleaning up a nearby road would be a phenomenal way to reduce Fuel Poverty.

Maybe there's an opportunity for folks to learn some skills while reducing their bills too - a training or apprenticeship program could be in order to empower people in additional ways.

Super smart Lindsay. I think there's something tremendous to be said for considering incentives (i.e. the 'carrot') when pushing for change in communities affected by poverty.

I think the stipulation I'd put on your concept is that the faster the return could happen the better. Being stuck in the cycle of poverty keeps families from looking much beyond the end of the week - the faster a visceral benefit can be attained the better. A monthly utility cycle may be the trick.