Truro Junior High engaged and energized!

Truro Junior High School had an awesome visit from Green Schools! Engagement Officer Pam and Ms. (Tamara) Zann-Roland organized for four Grade 6 classes to each have a 30 minute presentation. There was approximately 30 students per class, so in total Pam presented to 120 students!

After the 30-minute, interactive presentation, which included a brief slideshow, an Efficiency NS video, and then an engaging game of Energy Bingo, students went away with a better understanding of the concept of energy efficiency and how to have better energy saving habits. While they played they learned that wind turbines help to generate and harvest wind energy, solar panels can help to power and heat our homes, ocean waves have a lot of energy, and more! Each Bingo winner got a Green Prize, and as they left to their next class, all the other students received a Green Schools stamp for being such great listeners.

Throughout Energy Bingo, students had some great questions and stories, such as “How can we dry our clothes without a dryer in the winter, and during bad weather?” to which the answer is: By using a drying rack inside, or by simply hanging our clothes around the house to dry. One student mentioned that her family has “Ghost Power” outlets in her home, which are smart outlets, similar to the EmberTec products but directly in the outlets, helping to make her home more energy efficient! This is a great technology that hopefully more homes will adopt over time.

During the last presentation Pam had three volunteers come to the front of the class, to test LED Christmas lights, a hair dryer, and an incandescent lamp with the energy meter.  The class had to guess which device would use the most and least energy before testing them. Students were shocked to see that a hair dryer took over 1300W, while LED lights took under 10W! Teachers alike were surprised to see how little energy LED lights took versus older style incandescent lights. This energy meter activity gave the students a better understanding of our energy consumption, ways to reduce it, and the positive effects that will arise with energy efficiency.

At the end of the day, the teachers, and students had all learned something new about energy and energy efficiency, and were excited to share their knowledge with their families. Thanks for having us Truro Junior High!