Shell and Canadian Geographic challenge schools across Canada to reduce their energy use

Curriculum-linked challenges from the Classroom Energy Diet Challenge help teachers and students across the country focus on energy efficiency

Nine year old from Nanaimo, BC sets most popular challenge in competition.

CALGARY, March 7, 2012 /CNW/ - Canadian Geographic and Shell Canada Limited are excited to announce that the Classroom Energy Diet Challenge (CEDC) is well underway with nearly 500 classrooms (11,000 students) competing across the country. Since early February, curriculum-linked challenges have assisted teachers in educating their students on energy efficiency and providing fun and simple ways to reduce the amount of energy they use in the classroom. In the first month, over 439 challenges have been completed and submitted to Canadian Geographic by teachers.

"The CEDC is an ideal way for students to explore the timely and serious issues around energy use. The activities presented through the CEDC allow teachers to seamlessly integrate these vital conservation concepts in their classrooms" 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."

An extension of the successful 2011 Family Energy Diet Challenge, which challenged six Canadians families to reduce their total household energy consumption, the CEDC features a challenge created by one of the youngest competitors in last year's program, nine-year-old Drew Belbin from Nanaimo, BC. His "One Hour No Power" challenge encourages classrooms to take one hour of their day and turn off all power. This challenge has quickly become the most popular with over 67 classrooms completing it in the first month. Students are able to determine the best time of day to do this, then take time to reflect on the effect that using no power has on both their energy consumption and their required tasks at school. Another challenge encourages classes to create a pledge form promoting energy efficiency for people in their community to sign. So far, nearly 1,500 Canadians have contributed their signature as a promise to reduce their energy consumption.

"It is exciting to see how the Classroom Energy Diet Challenge has expanded from the original challenge that focused on families and energy reduction in the home", said Dr. Ashley Nixon, Strategic Relations Manager at Shell Canada. "It is the innovation of young people, such as Drew Belbin in the original challenge, to find creative ways to reduce their energy use, and be able to share it with others. This is what encourages us to focus on young Canadians in the classroom, and the impact they have on our future."

The CEDC website is a tool for teachers, students and parents to track their classroom's progress, display proof of their completed challenges and collect points in order to be eligible for the grand prize draw for a SMART Board 885ix on April 23, 2012. Canadians also have full access to the site and are able to follow classrooms in their area to see how they are working to enhance their energy efficiency. A blog section provides daily updates such as classroom features, energy tips and articles by previous competitor families from the household energy diet that took place last year.

For more information on the Classroom Energy Diet Challenge, please visit www.canadiangeographic.ca/cedc. The CEDC can also be found on Twitter and Facebook. If you are interested in speaking with a completing classroom in your area, please see coordinates below to arrange an interview.

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.

Classroom Energy Diet Challenge
The Classroom Energy Diet Challenge is a contest sponsored by Shell Canada Limited and Canadian Geographic to help students increase their understanding of energy, where it comes from and how to improve their energy efficiency.  As part of the Challenge, classrooms will have access to some great tips and resources to help them improve their energy efficiency. From February 6 to March 30 2012, students will complete curriculum-linked lessons and challenges designed to increase their knowledge and awareness about energy use in Canada.

Energy Diet Challenge
The original household Energy Diet Challenge was a partnership between Shell Canada and Canadian Geographic to help Canadians learn more about energy and ways they can improve energy efficiency.  From September 12 to December 4, 2011, six Canadian families competed to see who could shrink their carbon footprint the most, by making changes at home and in their transportation. Household and transportation energy use (as well as water use) were tracked over the three-month period.

Canadian Geographic:  Please contact Jessica Harding at [email protected] or 1-613-745-4629 ext 130. 

Shell:  For journalists and media inquiries only: Reporters may contact Shell Media Relations at [email protected] or 1-877-850-5023. Please provide both your email and phone number.