Ontario municipalities challenged to energy conservation duel

WOODSTOCK, ONTARIO - Woodstock Mayor Michael Harding has dropped the gauntlet, issuing a challenge to municipal leaders across Ontario to compete in the Count Me In! Community Challenge Day on August 14.

Mayor HardingÂ’s challenge has already been accepted enthusiastically by the representatives of 19 other municipalities who have each committed to reduce their overall energy consumption between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on the Community Challenge Day.

The Count Me In! Community Challenge Day takes its name from the ongoing theme for Energy Conservation Week 2009 (May 17-23). Ontarians are being asked to pledge a commitment and to create a personalized conservation plan at www.countmeinontario.ca, from now until Challenge Day.

Participating municipalities can compete in two different categories:

• The highest percentage drop in electricity consumption on August 14, and

• The highest per capita participation in the Count Me In! pledge drive.

Results of the provincewide challenge will be announced at the AMO Annual Conference on August 19 in Ottawa.

The City of Woodstock has played a leadership role among Ontario municipalities over the past few years encouraging energy conservation with its August 14 Blackout Day initiative.

This year, Woodstock has been joined by the Ontario Power Authority, the Independent Electricity System Operator, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, and the Electricity Distributors Association to create the Count Me In! Community Challenge Day.