The Count Me In! Community Challenge Day a Success!

On Friday August 14, 2009, the Halton Hills community demonstrated its commitment to energy conservation, marking the sixth anniversary of the North American blackout.

Over 80 Ontario municipalities participated in the Count Me In! Community Challenge Day. These municipalities competed to see which one could achieve the (i) highest percentage drop in electricity consumption on August 14; and/or the (ii) highest per capita participation in the Count Me In! pledge drive.

The results are now in. Halton Hills has done very well! In terms of the number of pledges, the Town placed in the top 10 municipalities – out of a total of 83. The Town was the only municipality in Halton Region to place in the top 10. Halton Hills was also the only municipality of its size (i.e. 50,000+ residents) to rank in the top 10. This is a significant achievement since the pledge drive results were calculated on a per capita basis.

In terms of electricity consumption, Town-wide consumption decreased by 2.3%. This placed the Town in 18th place out of 83 municipalities. At Town Hall alone, energy use decreased by 26%, with a 2.5% decrease recorded at the Acton Branch Library.

Referring to the Town’s successful participation in the Count Me In! Challenge, Mayor Bonnette stated:

Once again, similar to the Town’s successful participation in the past two global Earth Hour campaigns as well as our partnership with World Wildlife Fund – Canada in The Good Life initiative, our staff, residents and businesses have once again demonstrated their commitment to energy conservation and sustainability. They backed-up this commitment with energy conservation actions as part of the Count Me In! Challenge.

Because energy conservation is an important theme of the Town’s Green Plan, everyone that participated in the Challenge has helped with Green Plan implementation.

To continue your conservation actions throughout the year, please refer to the “Annual Checklist for the Halton Hills Green Resident” found in the Green Plan.

Highlights of Count Me In! Results in Halton Hills

• Town ranked in the top 10 Ontario municipalities – in terms of pledges;
• Community-wide electricity consumption drop of 2.3%;
• At Town Hall, electricity consumption decreased by 26%;
• 10 local businesses formally participated in the Challenge, with some achieving very high staff participation rates. For example, the Georgetown Terminal Warehouses, Elliott Custom Brokers and Georgetown Publications Inc. achieved an 80% participation rate;
• Town staff encouraged participation in the Challenge by setting up an information table at the Gellert Community Centre, including the giveaway of 20 free swim passes to help residents cool down as they decreased their AC use;
• In partnership with Practically Green Solutions, the Office of Sustainability offered three interactive workshops on sustainability and energy conservation to over 100 youth attending the Town’s summer camps;
• Residents explored energy conservation opportunities and learned about the Count Me In! Community Challenge as staff from the Town and Halton Hills Community Energy Corporation were present at the Georgetown Farmers’ Market on Saturday August 8th. On Sunday August 9th, Town staff was present at the Georgetown Marketplace, and Halton Hills Community Energy Corporation at the Leathertown Festival in Acton.
• Residents and businesses were encouraged to participate by being offered a chance to win one of two energy-efficiency prize packs, provided courtesy of Halton Hills Community Energy Corporation. Winners will be drawn at the August 24th Council meeting.

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