Program turns U-46 kids on to conservation

Do it for the polar bears, Rachel Nalepa told about 150 students at Sheridan Elementary School in Elgin.

Carbon dioxide, Nalepa explained during a Nov. 16 presentation, is the primary culprit behind global warming and the gradual melting of the Arctic ice cap, polar bears' main habitat.

Conserving energy means burning less fossil fuels. That, in turn, means emitting less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

"Every time you turn off a light, every time you turn off the air conditioning, every time you take a shorter shower, you are helping a polar bear," she said.

Nalepa is northern Illinois' project manager for Peak, an educational program presented by the Energy Coalition, a nonprofit agency out of California.

The program for third- to eighth-graders is offered at 18 schools in northern Illinois, plus schools in California and Sweden. Students are taught about fossil fuels, renewable energy, and what they can do to conserve energy at home.

"When the refrigerator door is open, all the cold escapes and it wastes energy," Nalepa said. "Decide what you want to eat before you open the door!"

Students' hands shot up in the air as Nalepa asked them questions, such as why it is important to conserve natural resources.

"Because it might go out one day and we might not have enough to power the lights or ever power the car," one student said.

"Because it saves money," said another.

The cost of electricity at Sheridan Elementary alone is more than $50,000 per year, said Elgin Area School District U-46 environmental facilitator Corryn Antonizio.

"Can you imagine what it costs for the other 55 schools (in the district)?" she asked. "That's a lot of money."

Students also got to see for themselves the effects of energy conservation, as they filed past a table with two lit lamps and placed their hands on the light bulbs -- one an "old-fashioned" incandescent bulb, the other an energy saving, compact fluorescent light bulb.

The incandescent bulb was way too hot to touch, which showed how much energy it wasted, said sixth-grader Marlene Wences.

"The other one, it was like there was no heat," she said. "I could have kept my hand there a long time."

Sixth-grader Alondra Valle said her family already uses CFL bulbs, which she insisted on after attending last year's Peak presentation at Sheridan. She also persuaded her older brother to turn off his computer when he is not using it, she said.

"I found out about how much all this affects global warming," she said. "I think it's very important."

The goal of Peak is to turn students into "smart energy managers," Nalepa said. "We want them to take it into their homes and into the community," she said.

Fifth-grader Fernando Loscon wants to do just that.

"I want to save energy for the polar bears," he said. "Maybe I will watch less TV."

Save energy at home

Ceiling fan: Use them instead of air conditioning in the summer, and during winter use them to help push hot air down.

Dryer: Don't overdry clothes and remember to clean the lint screen so that your dryer will use less energy.

Furnace: If you dress a little warmer in the winter, you won't have to turn your heater on as high.

Light bulbs: Incandescent light bulbs emit 90 percent heat and only 10 percent light, while compact fluorescent light bulbs generate 15 percent heat and 85 percent light.

Oven: Don't open the oven often when cooking.

Shower: Take cooler, shorter showers, reducing the amount of hot water the heater has to warm up.

Stereo: Turn it off when you leave the room.

Video games: Your video game still uses energy when it is plugged in!

Window: In winter, open window coverings so the sunshine can help warm up the house.

Source: www.peakstudents.org