Every summer when the air conditioners in my neighborhood go into full blast mode, we experience frequent power outages. It’s amazing how much energy it takes to power just one street and that’s why it’s important to consider the small steps of energy saving and upgrading broken appliances with ENERGY STAR certified products.
Team ENERGY STAR is always finding creative new ways to engage consumers and it is launching a new initiative to educate American youth and their families about saving energy in the home. Team ENERGY STAR empowers kids to help protect the climate through easy-to-implement, money-saving actions and provides them an outlet for sharing their passion for preserving our environment. This year ENERGY STAR partners PTO Today and LG Electronics have brought in the heroic characters from the new movie EPIC, to help kids learn about the importance of saving energy while having fun at the same time.
Being part of the team involves the following simple steps:
- Take action to reduce your energy use at home
- Help your family and friends save energy
- Encourage your family and friends to take the ENERGY STAR Pledge
- Inspire others by sharing your story
Kids can join Team ENERGY STAR by visiting energystar.gov/team where they will get easy-to-download educational and interactive materials, such as a comprehensive Action Kit with the ENERGY STAR Home Check-Up, an EPIC-themed activity booklet, and a Professor Bomba’s Binoculars kit to help kids see the world in a whole new way. Kids are also encouraged to come back and share their stories about protecting the environment by saving energy to inspire others. Participants even have a chance to win cool prizes from PTO Today courtesy of Fox and LG Electronics USA. Stories will be showcased on ENERGY STAR’s social media pages and the top stories will be featured on LG’s electronic billboard in New York’s Times Square!
Team ENERGY STAR is part of the Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR campaign. This multi-year campaign was developed to engage Americans of all ages in saving energy, money and protecting the environment with ENERGY STAR. Millions of people are getting involved, joining their neighbors in this grassroots movement to help protect the climate by saving energy. Visit energystar.gov/changetheworld and see how people and organizations all over are making a difference with ENERGY STAR by viewing EPA’s ENERGY STARs Across America map.
ENERGY STAR is a program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency helping us save money and protect the environment through energy-efficient products and practices. ENERGY STAR has nearly 20,000 partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, buildings and businesses, and the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 65 product categories. In 2012 alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved enough energy to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 50 million cars — all while saving $24 billion on their utility bills.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I am writing about Team ENERGY STAR because I support the program and because I believe it is important to educate the public about energy efficiency and climate change. I have received a modest “thank you” reward from LG, an ENERGY STAR partner, in appreciation for my post. That gift in no way influenced my belief that saving energy is important and necessary.
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