KidsÂ’ Corner resources make conservation fun

Parents, teachers, students and children who want to learn how to save energy will appreciate the colourful, interactive set of five “Kids’ Corner” materials:

· The Electronic Personality Quiz for Kids

· Who Left the Lights On?

· Spot the Slip-ups

· Crack the Code

· Spot the Words

The Electronic Personality Quiz for Kids is based on research conducted for the Ontario Power Authority that has been used to model conservation behaviours among adult Ontarians. The kids’ version puts this insight into a child’s perspective and identifies three types of conservation personalities: Those who “Live for Today,” “Yo-Yo Savers,” and “Green Champions.” The Quiz helps kids to understand their own personality and encourages them to become more diligent about energy conservation.

Who Left the Lights On? helps kids become more conscious about avoiding a wasteful habit by turning it into a quiz accompanying an illustration. Spot the Slip-ups takes a similar visual approach to show kids where wasting electricity results from not being careful about its use. Crack the Code and Spot the Words take a more verbal approach but with the same goal: To teach positive energy habits early on so that they take hold for life.

“There are many different ways of reaching people with a positive energy conservation message and many different audiences to reach, but kids are an especially important audience because they’re our future—and they’ll also pester their parents into better behaviours,” says Ontario Power Authority Vice President, Conservation Programs and Sector Development Paul Shervill. “These resources were created for the Ontario Power Authority’s Every Kilowatt Counts campaigns; Energy Conservation Week provides a platform to get them to a broad audience in a concentrated period of time,” he says.

The KidsÂ’ Corner materials are accessible through both the Energy Conservation Week (www.energyconservationweek.ca) and Every Kilowatt Counts websites (http://www.everykilowattcounts.com/kids/). Additional elements available include a music video featuring CanadaÂ’s Nelly Furtado and the Horton Activity Book and Tip Sheet.

Parents, children, teachers and anyone interested in promoting energy conservation among OntarioÂ’s younger generation are encouraged to submit their testimonials and tips and any events they may be undertaking through the Energy Conservation Week website. This will allow everyone in the province to share ideas and successes.

For example, the City of Welland Conservation Committee is using Energy Conservation Week to amplify attention for its third annual environmental contest; Haldimand County is running a program for Grade 5 students, as well as a media/celebrity challenge.

Energy Conservation Week (May 25-31) 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.”