AJAX, ON, Aug. 17 /CNW/ - Veridian would like to acknowledge and thank the Cities of Belleville and Pickering, the Towns of Ajax and Port Hope, the Municipality of Clarington and Brock Township - areas served by Veridian - for their participation in the 2010 Power Pledge Community Challenge.
Held on August 11th, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the Power Pledge Community Challenge was supported by almost 90 Ontario communities representing 82 per cent of Ontarians. The challenge is part of a five-month conservation awareness campaign organized by the Ontario Power Authority and sponsored by World Wildlife Canada. Participants of the Power Pledge Community Challenge participated in two ways:
1. The communities with the highest number of Power Pledges per capita
by 8 p.m. on Challenge Day received $10,000 to support a local
renewable energy project.
2. The community achieving the largest reduction in electricity use from
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. last Wednesday won the megawatt-reduction category
and the prestigious Woodstock Cup.
Over 4,000 pledges were made by residents in Belleville, Pickering, Ajax, Port Hope, Clarington and Brock. While impressive, competition within the two prize categories was strong, and the awards went to municipalities elsewhere in the province. Regardless, all participants should be proud of the support given to this important energy conservation challenge. To date, the Power Pledge campaign has attracted more than 125,000 pledges. If all pledgers fulfill their commitments, the campaign could have the following collective impacts:
- A reduction of 281,000,000 kWh of electricity - an average of
2,200 kWh per pledge.
- An electricity cost savings of $29,000,000 - an average of $232 per
average pledge household.
- A reduction in greenhouse gases of 62,300,000 kg. The equivalent of
taking 10,000 cars off the road.
Pledges can still be made at www.powerpledge.ca until August 31, 2010. Those who take the pledge will receive 20 AIR MILES(R) reward miles and can donate an additional 10 reward miles to one of three designated charities.
The Power Pledge campaign encourages all Ontarians to commit to a few simple, meaningful conservation actions that save energy and money, and help protect the environment. The specific focus of the Power Pledge campaign has been to reduce "phantom power" - the current drawn by many household electronic devices even when shut off - by using a power bar. Natural Resources Canada estimates that phantom power consumes as much as 15 percent of a household's annual use of electricity.
"Energy conservation is an important way of addressing climate change, improving our local air quality and reducing energy," said Eryn Wishnowski, Veridian's Conservation Program Representative. "The Power Pledge campaign makes it easy for Ontarians to commit to taking simple, meaningful actions that will conserve electricity and have a positive impact on the environment."
The Power Pledge Community Challenge is a collaboration of the Ontario Power Authority, the Electricity Distributors Association, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and the Independent Electricity System Operator and their associated members. The campaign also acknowledges the longstanding leadership of the City of Woodstock by annually awarding the Woodstock Cup to the winner of the megawatt-reduction category.
Veridian Connections Inc. safely and reliably delivers electricity to more than 112,000 customers in the Cities of Pickering and Belleville, the Towns of Ajax, Port Hope and Gravenhurst, and the communities of Uxbridge, Bowmanville, Newcastle, Orono, Port Perry, Beaverton, Sunderland and Cannington. Veridian Connections Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Veridian Corporation. The City of Pickering, the Town of Ajax, the Municipality of Clarington and the City of Belleville jointly own Veridian Corporation.
For further information: Chris Mace, Sales & PR Representative - Corporate Communications, Veridian Connections Inc., 905-427-9870, extension 2218
Share this article