Canadian Geographic and Shell Canada launch Classroom Energy Diet Challenge
CALGARY, Jan. 18, 2012 /CNW/ - Hundreds of students and teachers across Canada are participating in The Classroom Energy Diet Challenge, a two-month curriculum-based program designed by Canadian Geographic and Shell Canada Limited to inform students about energy, where it comes from and how it can be used efficiently by making smarter choices.
"The Challenge is an ideal way for students to learn about the timely and serious issue of energy. The activities and thinking incorporated into the Classroom Energy Diet Challenge allow teachers to seamlessly integrate these vital concepts into their classroom" said Connie Wyatt Anderson, Chair of the Canadian Council for Geographic Education. "This learning will extend well beyond the classroom and provide students with a greater understanding of the world in which they live."
So far, over 200 kindergarten to grade 12 teachers have signed up their classes to participate in the Challenge for the chance to win a number of prizes. The Challenge consists of two separate streams: the Classroom Challenge and the Video Contest. In the Classroom Challenge, points are awarded for completing assignments from among 25 lesson plans designed to teach students about energy efficiency and use. The Video Contest challenges classrooms to submit scripts for a creative video outlining ways to reduce energy use. The 50 best scripts will selected by a panel and the winning classrooms will be given flip video cameras to film their videos for a chance at the grand prize of $2000 towards technical equipment to support learning. Additional prizes can also be won through the Challenge.
"By incorporating information about energy and our natural resources into Canadian students' curriculum, we hope another generation of Canadians will be inspired to improve their own energy efficiency. As a major energy supplier, Shell wants to be part of the solution by helping people use the energy resources we produce more wisely," said Ashley Nixon, Shell Canada External Relations Manager.
Students and parents can view the classrooms' progress and gain tips on reducing their own energy use at www.canadiangeographic.ca/cedc. A tool to calculate energy use and helpful blogs written by experts and other Canadian families are also available on the website.
"The Classroom Energy Diet Challenge makes it easy for young Canadians to learn the hard facts about how to make wise energy choices. Supporting environmental education and stewardship is a key priority of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society" said John Geiger, President of the Royal Geographical Society.
The Classroom Energy Diet Challenge runs from February 6 to March 30 2012 and will engage students across the country in a discussion about energy and Canada's natural resources. Along the way students will gain a better understanding of the role that energy plays within our society and how it impacts each of us on a daily basis.
The Classroom Energy Diet Challenge follows 2011's successful Energy Diet Challenge where six families across Canada competed to reduce their energy and water use in the home and through smarter mobility choices on the road. As grand prize winners of that Challenge, the Kitchen-Kuiack family from Marsh Lake, Yukon, was named Canada's "slimmest" family, winning a brand new 2012 Toyota Prius v.
Notes to Editors
- A media backgrounder is available.
Canadian Geographic
The Royal Canadian Geographical Society is dedicated to imparting a broader knowledge and deeper appreciation of Canada — its people and places, its natural and cultural heritage and its environmental, social and economic challenges. The Society's mission is to make Canada better known to Canadians and its goal is to make Canadians more geographically-literate. The principal mechanism of its public education role is Canadian Geographic magazine. For more than 80 years, Canadian Geographic has been telling stories, explaining issues and making the country more accessible through words, pictures and maps.
Royal Dutch Shell plc
Royal Dutch Shell plc is incorporated in England and Wales, has its headquarters in The Hague and is listed on the London, Amsterdam, and New York stock exchanges. Shell companies have operations in more than 90 countries and territories with businesses including oil and gas exploration and production; production and marketing of liquefied natural gas and gas to liquids; manufacturing, marketing and shipping of oil products and chemicals and renewable energy projects. For further information, visit www.shell.com.
Shell Canada Ltd
Shell has been operating in Canada since 1911 and employs approximately 8,000 people across the country. A leading manufacturer, distributor and marketer of refined petroleum products, Shell produces natural gas, natural gas liquids and bitumen, and is Canada's largest producer of sulphur. Shell is one of Canada's oil sands developers and operates the Athabasca Oil Sands Project on behalf of the joint venture partners.
ENQUIRIES:
Canadian Geographic: Please contact Jessica Harding at [email protected] or 1-613-745-4629 ext 130.
Shell: For journalists and media inquiries only: Reporters and editors may contact Shell Media Relations at [email protected] or 1-877-850-5023. Please provide both your email and phone number as some queries will only be answered via email.
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