Woodstock and Blackout Day challenges Ontarians to “have fun with the lights out” on Aug. 14th!
WOODSTOCK, Ont. (July 17, 2008) The city of Woodstock, in partnership with the Blackout Day group, is once again challenging Ontarians to “have fun with the lights out” on August 14th.
Why August 14th? It’s the 5th anniversary of the widespread Ontario blackout of 2003 that started in the United States and cascaded over the border, ultimately affecting 100-plus generating stations – and hundreds of thousands of people – in Ontario and eight U.S. states.
“The Sesame Street’s Kermit the Frog once sang it’s not easy being green, and he was right – in more ways than one,” said Woodstock Mayor Mike Harding. “Having fun with the lights out is our way of raising awareness across Ontario that energy conservation is vital to our economic health.”
During the massive 2003 blackout, people met neighbours for the first time and “communities really came together, said Caroline Reilly, Director of the Mississauga-based Blackout Day Group.
“So in the spirit of energy conservation, we’re inviting people to get together again on that day and have fun with the lights out!”
Blackout Day caught the collective imagination of Woodstock residents in 2005 (when the Mayor’s Challenge first launched, Harding explained. “That grassroots enthusiasm has delivered real energy conservation results for our city.”
Blackout Day brings home the need for conservation and how it positively impacts power bills, said Jessica Happl, Vice Chair of the Woodstock Environment Advisory Committee.
This month, the Blackout Day Group launched its new website, (www.blackoutday.ca). It shows plenty of ways to have fun with the lights out for individuals, businesses, schools and municipalities. The website also serves as a virtual meeting place for people to interact and share how they will take the Blackout Day challenge.
For instance, so energy conservation doesn’t become a burden, the site offers ways to dine without cooking and themes for Blackout Day parties that involve friends and colleagues in ways that spread the word about demand management as a tool to lower the province’s energy usage.
Woodstock, the city that launched the voluntary Blackout Day Challenge in 2005, has partnered with The Blackout Day Group. Ontario cities can now sign up online and challenge neighbouring municipalities to see who can conserve the most energy on August 14th. They can also access tools and media to promote the day in their cities and find ideas for fun events.
“People, businesses and cities are invited to get creative on how they will take action to conserve energy while planning a unique party or event on Blackout Day,” says Reilly. “Businesses and organizations especially can make a big difference by involving their customers and employees, sponsoring prizes or holding fun events or promotions to help spread the word and motivate even more people to participate in Blackout Day”
www.blackoutday.ca also provides a talk-back section for sharing stories about the 2003 Blackout, no-cook recipes, Blackout Day party ideas, energy conservation tips. For individuals, there’s a sweepstakes prize – an EcomaginationTM dishwasher generously sponsored by General Electric.
People can go online between July 15 and August 12, sign up for the individual challenge and they are automatically entered into the sweepstakes. With its SmartDispense™ reservoir, the GE Profile™ dishwasher can hold the equivalent of a 1.38-liter container of detergent. Fill it up once, and it calculates the exact amount of water and soap needed for a perfect wash, every time, for two months.
“We’re hoping the Blackout Day Challenge will become a viral movement that will capture peoples’ imagination,” says Reilly. “It’s pure contagious inspiration!”
The Not-For-Profit Blackout Day Group saw an opportunity to make a difference by creating an online community www.blackoutday.ca for people, schools and businesses to power down on the August 14th anniversary of the 2003 Blackout.
This online community also hosts the City of Woodstock’s grassroots Blackout Day Challenge, which, since 2005, has challenged Ontario Municipalities to power down on August 14th. The Blackout Day Group, Woodstock Environmental Advisory Committee (WEAC) and Woodstock Hydro Services partnered to raise awareness of energy conservation through this innovative challenge.
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Filed under: Healthy Environment
