Ameren Illinois recognizes Midwest Central School for its participation in energy education program

[June 04, 2015]  MANITO - Eighth grade students in Ms. Natalie Durham’s Midwest Central School class are being recognized by Ameren Illinois for their efforts to reduce and conserve energy at home. The students were participants in the Student Energy Education Kit program, or SEEKit, an intiative of Ameren Illinois’ Kids ActOnEnergy program, which facilitates environmental stewardship among youth and broadens their knowledge of energy efficiency practices. As a result of the students’ participation, the school was awarded a $250 grant to be used by the teacher for classroom educational materials.

“Ameren Illinois’ Kids ActOnEnergy program provides a variety of resources that expose kids to energy conservation at an early age,” said Durham. “As a result of programs like SEEKit, students gain valuable knowledge and become more conscious citizens.”

How SEEKit works:

Energy representatives from Ameren Illinois’ ActOnEnergy program visit schools, at the teachers’ request, and provide an in-school presentation that is designed to help middle school age students better understand the need for energy conservation. Students examine their current energy use and consider practical behavioral modifications. At the end of the presentation, each student receives a personal energy efficiency kit to take home along with an Energy Pursuit Worksheet as a way to seek out misused or wasted energy around their home. Each kit contains: two energy efficient bulbs; a high efficiency shower head; faucet aerators for the bathroom and kitchen; a hot water temperature card; and thread seal tape (with instructions).

Students are then asked to complete both the kit installation and Energy Pursuit Worksheet, which looks at the family’s energy practices, and enter their findings on the Kids ActOnEnergy website (KidsActOnEnergy.com). The two participating schools with the highest percentage of recorded activity are awarded an activity grant.

“Through this hands-on learning experience, students discover how to increase their homes’ energy efficiency, modify personal behavior, and explore additional energy conservation opportunities,” said Keith Martin, director of Energy Efficiency, Ameren Illinois. “These resources are designed to empower students and encourage greater dialogue between families about the need for energy efficiency.”
 

Ameren Illinois’ ActOnEnergy energy efficiency initiatives are geared towards helping customers become smarter, safer energy consumers. Since 2008, this award-winning program has helped customers across central and southern Illinois to reduce their home energy usage by more than $365 million. This is equivalent to removing over 500,000 cars from the road or planting nearly 550,000 acres of new forest.

[Todd Hellrigel, Midwest Central School]