I joined Team ENERGY STAR and I hope you will too
You’ve probably seen the blue ENERGY STAR logo on appliances and other energy efficient products. Here’s the scoop:
Team ENERGY STAR is a exciting initiative from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, developed to engage and educate all of us about saving energy in our home. What I love most about the program is that Team ENERGY STAR empowers kids to help protect the climate through simple, doable actions. And we all know that kids are where it’s at if any change is going to happen.
I’m teaming up with my friend Diane over at Big Green Purse along with a long list of fantastic bloggers to help spread the ENERGY STAR message and work together to engage and educate American youth and their families about saving energy in the home.
Why is saving energy important?
About 70 percent of the electricity we use comes from power plants burning fossil fuels. Burning fossil fuels causes greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change – a real and urgent challenge affecting people and the environment worldwide. Using energy-efficient products and practices reduces the amount of carbon pollution added to the atmosphere and can lessen the effects of climate change.
Why is protecting the climate important?
Climate change is a real and urgent challenge affecting people and the environment worldwide.
Human activities such as electricity production and transportation add significant amounts of carbon pollution to the atmosphere. This carbon pollution, along with other greenhouse gases, is the primary cause of most of the global temperature rise observed over the past 50 years.
The good news
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. Those are some pretty impressive stats.
Now for some fun
I don’t know about you, but I’m just about ready for summer. One of my favorite summertime activities is going to see all of the blockbuster movies that make their way onto the big screen.
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
Check out the movie EPIC
The movie looks great. Big names lend their voices to make this film happen including Steven Tyler, Colin Ferrell, Beyonce Knowles and Amanda Seyfried. Here’s a short description and a trailer:
EPIC is a 3D CG adventure comedy that reveals a fantastical world unlike any other. From the creators of ICE AGE and RIO, EPIC tells the story of an ongoing battle between the forces of good, who keep the natural world alive, and the forces of evil, who wish to destroy it. When a teenage girl finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she teams up with an elite band of warriors and a crew of comical, larger-than-life figures, to save their world…and ours.
How you can join in the fun
By joining Team ENERGY STAR kids will get the chance to earn cool prizes courtesy of PTO Today, LG Electronics USA and 20th Century Fox. The first 200 families to submit an energy-saving story will receive 2 tickets each to see EPIC, courtesy of Fox. Kids will also get the chance to earn some great prizes from LG Electronics USA and maybe even see their name in lights in Times Square. All the kids have to do sign up HERE and click on “Submit your energy-saving success story.”
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.
