Ontario's First Energy Conservation Week Begins Sunday
Energy Conservation Week - May 25-31, 2008
TORONTO, May 22 /CNW/ - Ontarians from every corner of the province will
help celebrate the power of conservation during the first Ontario Energy
Conservation Week, May 25-31, 2008.
From Dryden to Niagara and from Windsor to Ottawa, communities,
homeowners and businesses alike, are finding ways to become more energy
efficient - saving money and helping the environment, at the same time.
"Energy Conservation Week demonstrates Ontario's interest in - and
passion for - energy conservation," says Peter Love, Ontario's Chief Energy
Conservation Officer and instigator of the week-long grassroots celebration.
"Everyone said to me that Earth Hour got them thinking. Energy Conservation
Week is a strong next step on our quest to think about conservation, to
believe we can make a difference and to take action."
Breadth, diversity, imagination, enthusiasm and commitment characterize
the range of province-wide activities marking the week's activities that begin
this Sunday.
Every corner of the province - communities, businesses, homeowners,
retailers, students, library patrons, hospital staff, employers and employees
and "ordinary" Ontarians - will be touched in some way by the week-long focus
on conserving energy. Cumulatively, the combination of awareness-generation
and direct participation activities that are confirmed for May 25-31 will
reach multiple millions in many cities, towns, organizations and institutions.There are endless ways to take part...:
- municipal resolutions - dozens of communities have declared Energy
Conservation Week
- lower your lights by 25 per cent - all Ontario HBC-owned chain stores
including Home Outfitters, the Bay and Zellers will be doing exactly
this during Energy Conservation Week
- participate in a Most Valuable Power$aver contest if you are one of
Hydro One's 3.1 million customers. Visit www.HydroOne.com/ECWeek for
more information
- notice the lights go out on the Fairmont Royal York rooftop sign
- get rid of an old, inefficient room air conditioner or dehumidifier to
the Clean Air Foundation as part of their Keep Cool program that helps
to ease the burden on the energy grid by retiring old inefficient room
air conditioners
- doff your tie or don cool summer skirts on Tieless Tuesday, May 28th
- visit www.energyconservationweek.ca to learn about what is happening
in your community and find out how you can "Take Action"
- recommend someone or some organization to receive a Certificate of
Recognition from Ontario's Chief Energy Conservation Officer... find
www.conservationbureau.com for nomination rules and forms
- see the Cord-O-Clip display featuring an innovative clothesline at St.
Thomas General Hospital
- pick up a free Union Gas energy savings kit at a participating Home
Depot on Sunday, May 25. The kit contains: one energy efficient chrome
showerhead, one energy efficient swivel kitchen aerator, one energy
efficient bathroom aerator, two metres of foam pipe insulation for the
hot water pipes connecting to your water heater and one $15
programmable thermostat rebate
- get a free conservation kit in St. Thomas that includes including
items such as fluorescent lights, water flow measurement bag, toilet
leak dye tablets, clothesline, pencils, colouring books, etc.
- buy an enviro kit at the University of Guelph
- attend a sustainability conference sponsored by Hamilton Health
Sciences; St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto; and St. Joseph's
Healthcare, Hamilton. For information visit
www.buildingcommonground.ca.
- attend the "Reach the Peak" barbecue hosted by Bluewater Power in
Sarnia
- attend the Haldimand County Hydro Inc. 2008 Conservation Program
Launch at River Heights Elementary School on May 26. Haldimand County
Hydro will be introducing and demonstrating their NEW interactive on-
line game aimed at Grade 5 students... To celebrate Energy
Conservation Week, students and adults will go head to head in a
couple rounds of "Are you as Energy Smart as a Haldimand County 5th
Grader?" The event starts at 1:30p.m. in the gymnasium
- notice conservation measures taken at BOMA Toronto-member office
towers
- visit malls like Hillcrest Shopping Centre in Richmond Hill and
Masonville Place in London which have committed to reduced lighting
and increasing the thermostat to save energy
- visit the Children's Museum in Waterloo to learn about energy
conservation and sustainable energy
- take part in Energy Conservation Day at Timken Centre in St. Thomas on
Saturday May 31
- learn about energy efficient products at participating Wal-Mart and
Home Depot stores in Windsor
- or through many other activities now being finalized at organizations,
institutions and communities across Ontario."All the partners in for the first Energy Conservation Week - The
Ministry of Energy, the Electricity Distributors Association, the Ontario
Power Authority and the Independent Electricity System Operator - have three
goals," says Paul Shervill, the Ontario Power Authority's Vice Present
Conservation and sector Development. "We intend to better prepare Ontarians to
meet the summer peak demand period in 2008, to motivate everyone to get on
track for our extremely aggressive energy saving targets, and to build towards
the 'culture of conservation' that we must achieve."
"Energy Conservation Week will be a great opportunity for people and
businesses across Ontario to learn and share ideas on how to save energy and
save money in the process. I would encourage everyone to take part in a local
event or even start their own conservation initiative at home or at work,"
said Ontario Energy Minister Gerry Phillips.
"Everyone benefits when consumers become more active in managing their
energy use. Demand response not only empowers consumers, it strengthens the
power system by giving the IESO, as the system operator, more flexibility in
maintaining reliability," said Ken Kozlik, Chief Operating Officer of the
Independent Electricity System Operator. "Energy Conservation Week highlights
the increasing role consumers can play to contribute to a more sustainable,
reliable and efficient power system."
"Energy Conservation Week (ECW) is about the power of collective action
and how even the smallest changes can make a difference," said Bryan Boyce,
Chair, Electricity Distributors Association. "Ontario's electricity
distributors understand the power of collective action. Over the past three
years, electricity distributors have developed and delivered over 500
conservation and demand management programs and activities to their customers
in communities across the province. ECW is another positive step towards
getting Ontarians to recognize how their actions can make a difference and
electricity distributors are proud to be taking part and promoting this
important province-wide initiative."
About Energy Conservation Week
Energy Conservation Week is a province-wide initiative that is being
co-ordinated by the Ontario Power Authority, in co-operation with many
partners, including the Ministry of Energy, the Independent Electricity System
Operator and the Electricity Distributors Association. It combines
awareness-building, the dissemination of practical information about energy
conservation, and encourages the implementation of specific measures that will
help Ontario better manage its summer peak and build towards a "culture of
conservation."
For further information: Media Contact: Meredith Sjogren, (416)
586-0180, msjogren@national.ca
