Thanks to funding provided by the Ministry of Energy, secondary schools across the Avon Maitland District School Board will be participating in our first Pay It Forward Campaign.
This initiative is based on the premise that change is better caught than taught. Teams of staff and students will provide family and friends with a tool to reduce energy consumption. Each recipient will be asked to commit to helping two others reduce their energy usage. In turn, they will help two friends and so on, and so on.
To better grasp the potential impact of the Pay It Forward Campaign, consider the following story:
According to legend, the game of chess was created as a gift from a peasant to an Emperor. Delighted by the gift, the Emperor asked what payment the peasant would prefer. The request seemed inconsequential to those who would underestimate the power of exponential growth. The payment given was a mere grain of rice on the first square of the chess board, and doubling for the remaining 63 days. On the 64th day, the peasant was owed 263 pieces of rice, the number is so large, you should pull out your calculator so you don't accuse us of exaggeration.
Turn this story around. Imagine if we consider the power of exponential growth for the common good. The Pay it Forward Challenge began with the Ministry of Energy providing $250 to secondary schools in the Avon Maitland District School Board. Stratford Central's Environment Club has purchased power bars. We will give all of them away on one condition: that the recipient help two others reduce their energy consumption. Sound easy? It is. Sound powerful? Maybe not, unless you understand the power of exponential growth.
Northwestern will be distributing compact fluorescents which are a much more efficient source of lighting than the incandescent lightbulb. Central will be distributing power bars, encouraging their use for computer equipment so that when the computer is not in use, the power supply to all peripherals can be quickly shut down.
If you do not receive a tool directly, you may consider starting your own Pay it Forward Campaign. Simply purchase a compact fluorescent, a hot water heater blanket, a faucet aerator, a power bar, child protection plugs for your outlets, a programmable thermostat or your own energy-conserving idea and give it to a friend.
You may not be able to help everyone you know reduce their energy, but let's apply Mother Teresa's wisdom to addressing climate change: "If you can't feed (equip) one hundred people, then feed just one." When they are able, if they will help two people, your impact will continue to spread.
The Pay it Forward campaign is supported by the Community Conservation Initiative Program of the Ontario Ministry of Energy.