Over the past three months 40,000 Canadian students have trimmed their “energy waistlines” as part of the Classroom Energy Diet Challenge, a national energy efficiency program sponsored by Shell Canada and Canadian Geographic.  Congratulations to the teachers and students from this year’s winning schools:

  • Grand Prize Secondary: Lindsay Reynen’s grade 12 class at Wallaceburg District Secondary School in Wallaceburg, ON
  • Grand Prize Elementary: Cheryl Kopp’s grade 4 class at École Riverbend Community School in Winnipeg, MB
  • Most Points Prize: Andrew Foxcroft’s grade 7/8 class at St. Mary’s School in Huntsville, ON
  • Top School Prize: Duncan Cran Elementary School in Fort St. John, BC
  • Video Prize Elementary: Herman Chang’s grade 5/6 class at Hillview School in Edmonton, AB
  • Video Prize Secondary: Angela Elliot’s grade 11/12 class at John Paul II Catholic School in London, ON

“We’re blown away by the students’ creativity and resourcefulness,” said Jana Masters, a Stakeholder Relations Advisor for Shell Canada. “We’re also thrilled the number of classrooms participating this year has tripled.  It tells us that schools see value in content about where energy comes from, how it’s used and the issues we face managing our resources.”

The impact of the Classroom Energy Diet Challenge was recently acknowledged with an Award of Merit from the Global, Environmental and Outdoor Education Council of the Alberta Teachers' Association. The award recognizes the program’s impact on classrooms across Alberta in raising awareness about the importance of energy conservation.

“There is no better subject suited to understanding energy than geography,” said André Préfontaine, President and Publisher of Canadian Geographic.  “The classes that participated in the Classroom Energy Diet Challenge truly captured the essence of geographic literacy through their challenges and were able to share their learning with their communities. It is clear that they are on their way to become informed and engaged citizens.”

In addition to lessening their environmental impact, the competing classrooms also had the chance to win some incredible prizes, such as one of the two grand prizes of a classroom set of iPads valued at over $5,000.  The winners of an energy conservation video contest were chosen through a combination of public voting and judging by Challenge organizers.

For more information on the Classroom Energy Diet Challenge, please visit energydiet.canadiangeographic.ca or follow developments on Twitter (@CanGeoEDC) and Facebook. If you are interested in speaking with a winning classroom in your area, please see the contact information below to arrange an interview.