Learning about climate change doesn’t need to be all doom and gloom. The truth is that solutions already exist; it’s just a matter of implementing them!

Energy efficiency is not just an effective solution for reducing emissions and mitigating the long-term impacts of climate change; it’s also a great way to save money on utility bills at the same time!

CPAWS Southern Alberta’s new Energize Program, free for educators, helps students and adult learners understand why energy efficiency is such a critical part of climate change solutions, and provides an opportunity for them to take real action. After being inspired through classroom learning, students will be asked to take the next step by developing and implementing an Energize Action Project—examples may include completing energy audits at school, developing interactive posters, PowerPoint presentations, or websites to raise awareness, or even building solar panels!

The Energize Program builds on our successful multi-visit learning model to create rich educational activities and experiences, while incorporating an Action Challenge component that explores how we can all make a positive impact—for ourselves, our communities, and our ecosystems—through energy efficiency.

A pilot program through the fall and winter of this school year, “Energize” will be offered as a full program over the next school year. It complements existing education programs on climate change, species at risk, watersheds and ecosystems, and helps Albertans understand where our energy resources come from, how we extract and use them, and what impacts energy systems have on our ecosystems. It will help empower students to make bigger changes at their schools and prove what can be achieved with a small group of passionate energy efficiency champions!

Click here to learn more about Energize and the many other education programs we offer.

The Energize Program is made possible by Energy Efficiency Alberta