Count me in WINNER

Count Ontario in. By reducing their power consumption, a community challenge has shown Ontario residents the power of collective action. Participating communities were monitored over a 12-hour assessment period. Participants were given the best kind of advice: not foregoing the stove for a day, which isn’t sustainable over time.  Instead, they were told how to permanently reduce consumption in their homes. 

It’s like losing weight. For best results, you don’t just avoid chips for a single day, but alter your diet permanently. Actions such as fixing leaky faucets and installing solar panels help conservation and the environment in the long run. These communities have made changes that will last. 

Organized by the Electricity Distributors Association and the City of Woodstock, the Count Me In Challenge is meant to replace Woodstock’s municipal Blackout Day Challenge. This year’s competition was held on August 14.  

Sound familiar? It’s an ominous date in power-consumption and production circles. It’s the (sixth) anniversary of the enormous blackout that affected the eastern side of the continent in 2003. Major cities had to learn how to deal with partial and full blackouts, caused in part by too-high demand.  

More than commemorating a bad week, this program encourages people from all over the world to say “count me in!” and start saving electricity wherever they can. Their website is full of testimonials, which they hope demonstrates the cumulative effect of individuals really can make a difference. 

The Count Me In Challenge recognized winners in two categories. Kingston won in the category of highest drop in energy consumption, and Sioux Lookout in highest participation per capita. 

These and all of the other participating communities hope their pride catches on, and that eventually everyone will want to “count themselves in.”