Students turn down the lights and turn up their energy

A record number 40,000 students from across Canada are about to embark on the Classroom Energy Diet Challenge (CEDC), a three-month program to increase their energy literacy.

“The teachers and students of last year’s inaugural program must have inspired others across Canada, as the number of participants in this year’s CEDC has tripled!” said André Préfontaine, President and Publisher of Canadian Geographic.

Building on 2012, this year’s Challenge has better prizes, more community-centric activities to raise local energy awareness and a GlobalTV classroom. For the first time, GlobalTV is partnering with the CEDC for the Global Classroom, the program will follow one classroom throughout The Challenge Phase and broadcast the student’s hands-on learning experience on Shaw TV’s Go! and online. The selected Global Classroom will act as the ambassadors of the program.

This year’s Global Classroom spotlight will shine on Mrs.Shelden’s grade 3 classroom of Surrey, B.C. Young host and student peer, Rachel Scarlett, will walk viewers through the hands-on learning experience, highlighting the student’s endeavours to reduce their own environmental footprint and ultimately act as ambassadors for The Challenge. Principal Byron Gammel of Prince Charles Elementary says he is excited for his students to transform into “environmental movie stars.”

“We are proud to be part of the innovative thinking taking place in Canadian classrooms,” said Lorraine Mitchelmore, Shell Canada President and Country Chair. “Innovation is valued at Shell. We are impressed by the creative efforts teachers use to teach their students about where energy comes from, how it is used and the issues Canadians face managing their energy resources.”

CEDC was developed through a partnership between Shell Canada and Canadian Geographic to increase energy literacy in Canada. The competition is divided into two streams: the Classroom Challenge, where registered classes from kindergarten to grade 12 will complete up to 25 energy-focused, curriculum based lesson plans and the Video Contest, where students create a video teaching other Canadians how to reduce their energy footprint. The competing classrooms are eligible to win prizes including a set of iPads (valued over $5,000) and donations to charities of their choice.

For more information on the Classroom Energy Diet Challenge, please visit www.canadiangeographic.ca/cedc. The CEDC can also be found on Twitter and Facebook. If you are interested in speaking with a competing classroom in your area, please see coordinates below to arrange an interview.

ENQUIRIES:

Canadian Geographic: Please contact Andrew Lovesey at Lovesey@canadiangeographic.ca or 1-613-745-4629.

Shell: For journalists and media inquiries only: Reporters may contact Shell Media Relations at media-desk@shell.com or 1-877-850-5023. Please provide both your email and phone number.

Notes to Editors

• A media backgrounder is available.

Canadian Geographic

The Royal Canadian Geographical Society is dedicated to imparting a broader knowledge and deeper appreciation of Canada — its people and places, its natural and cultural heritage and its environmental, social and economic challenges. The Society’s mission is to make Canada better known to Canadians and its goal is to make Canadians more geographically-literate. The principal mechanism of its public education role is Canadian Geographic magazine. For more than 80 years, Canadian Geographic has been telling stories, explaining issues and making the country more accessible through words, pictures and maps.

Royal Dutch Shell plc

Royal Dutch Shell plc is incorporated in England and Wales, has its headquarters in The Hague and is listed on the London, Amsterdam, and New York stock exchanges. Shell companies have operations in more than 90 countries and territories with businesses including oil and gas exploration and production; production and marketing of liquefied natural gas and gas to liquids; manufacturing, marketing and shipping of oil products and chemicals and renewable energy projects. For further information, visit www.shell.com.

Shell Canada Ltd

Shell has been operating in Canada since 1911 and employs approximately 8,000 people across the country. A leading manufacturer, distributor and marketer of refined petroleum products, Shell produces natural gas, natural gas liquids and bitumen, and is Canada’s largest producer of sulphur. Shell is one of Canada’s oil sands developers and operates the Athabasca Oil Sands Project on behalf of the joint venture partners.