Reduce the Juice

A friend might scoff at these remarks I am about to make. Why? Because I could be considered a power-hog.

I run a desktop, radio and fan while working. In the kitchen classical plays on the dial (so my plants and cat get at least some attention, even if not from me). I continually run a single light bulb (artificial light to keep my plants alive) and am notorious for leaving a room with the lights still on.

But, I am learning.

The fact is climate change (and the growing problems associated with this global dilemma) are becoming more and more of a personal cause for many Canadians that it is becoming fashionable to admit, and then retrain, our old ways of operating.

In the Community of Shelburne, in southern Ontario, a team of high school students took the issue to the streets. This group of conscientious kids went door-to-door with an energy conservation education program that aimed to:

*Raises awareness of energy use in relation to climate change
*Encouraged people to reduce electricity use by 5%
*Created a model program for energy education for rural communities

The 327 Shelburne homeowners were given a brief survey and then asked to pledge a reduction in their electricity usage through nine specific actions (ranging from replacing an old appliance with an Energy Star appliance to hanging clothes outside to dry). Almost 80% of the homeowners took the pledge.

In another, distinctly different community, a program called the Brahms Energy Saving Team (BEST), hired and trained six tenants from an ethno-racially diverse tenant building that housed over 800 people. These six tenants were trained as community education and outreach workers (or Animators).

These Animators helped design and deliver an energy education program that engaged their fellow tenants in their primary language (working in the four most commonly spoken languages – English, Farsi, Somali, and Tamil) and in culturally appropriate ways.

Animators spoke individually with tenants in the buildings to raise awareness and distributed multilingual education materials that focused on simple things tenants can do to save energy. Tenants also received complementary compact fluorescent light bulbs and powerbars.

Toronto Community Housing supported the project by installing new appliances, including 400 new energy efficient fridges and stoves in apartments with older appliances and refurbishing all of the in-suite radiators.

These two programs highlight just some of the many ways that we, as individuals, can act and make a significant contribution in cutting our impact on this Earth.

For me, personally, the change has begun. The radio companion only plays when I am physically not in my office or home. The plants only get the artificial sun on gray days or for a 12-hour segment of time -- and ONLY with an energy efficient flourescent. The computer is turned to standby and all printers and accessories are shut off until needed. And I know "close the light" whenever I leave a room. It may not seem like much, but niether did the increasing individual consumption and use that spiralled from zero to abuse in the last 100 years.

For more information on how you can get involved go to:
Energy Reduction Tips