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00i122fl . COLORADO WESTNewsMagazine Energy and Waler Conservalion A New Educalional Program Slarling at Ihe Elemenlary Level . Led by Holy Cross Energy, a broad range orbusiness and government pan- ners have joined to help Western Colo- rado families learn new water and en- ergy use habits, while saving household dollars and resources. Sponsors have supported the implementation of "Learning to be Waler Wise and En- ergy Efficient" in Western Slope fifth grade classes. This innovative resource action program was developed by the non-profit National Energy Foundation to teach ch i Idren and fami lies about con- servation,. The program goes beyond education,though, by supplying homes with actual resource-saving products, which are installed by students and their parents. The resulting savings of dol- lars and resources are quite impressive. Combing education with hands- on projects really increases the ben- efits for students and their fanlilies. By providing conservation products to each family, the true impact of the pro- gram is achieved. And none of this would be possible without the tremen- dous support of the sponsors we have throughout the region. Active community involvement is a primary motivation for sponsor in- volvement. Bob Gardner of Holy Cross Energy explains, "We became involved with Learning to be Water Wise and Energy Efficienl program a few years ago in an effort to help our cuslomers gain a greater understanding of resource efficiency and environmental conse- quences that affect us all. The biggest benefits for the commun ity, though, are the savings in resources and the corre- sponding lower customer utility bills that result from the program." Over the course of the program's history in the Roaring Fork and Vail Val- leys, it has been responsible for esti- mated savings of more than 15 million gallons of water and wastewater, 534,000 kWh of electricity and 51,000 therms of . natural gas. It has also taken nearly $1000,000 off household utility bills - each year! These are tremendous results, and they are an important story for indi- viduals and communities to understand the potential and positive impacts on their lives from conservation. While many of the program spon- sors are utilities such as Holy Cross En- ergy, Public Service Company ofColo- rado, and water agencies from the cities of Aspen, Glenwood Springs, Grand Junction, and Snowmass Village, pro- gram sponsorship involves a much broader base. As an example, the Aspen Skiing Company, Snowmass Land Com- pany and the Town of Snowmass joined forces to help support the program for classrooms in the Roaring Fork Valley. "We've found that the Learning to be Water Wise and Energy Efficient program is a truly meaningful program for families in our communities," reports Richard Wall of the Snow mass Village Water and Sanitation Department. "The real strength of the program is its ability to help educate and shape habits for two generations - both kids and their parents. The savings generated by the program far exceed the costs, and they will con- tinue for years and years to come." Government agencies have been instrumental in the de- velopment of the pro- gram. In addition to the communities men- tioned, The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Colorado State Office of Water Conservation have taken leading roles in supporting the pro- gram. "The Program has been a tremendous SUCa cess for students, part- ners, and teachers. It also helped us achieve many goals in water and energy conservation, education., and commu- nity involvement. We encourage all Colorado June 1999 businesses to become involved and join the partnership." adds Dan Crabtree, from the Grand Junction office of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The Learning to be Water Wise and Energy Efficient program is popu- lar with the fifth and sixth grade teach- ers who have panicipated, since it sat- isfies several State learning require- ments while providing fun learning re- sources to motivate students. Children love the hands-on projects and the home installations help involve parents in school programs. Goals for the program are to reach 5,000 families throughout Western Colo- rado in 1999, with 23,000 families stale- wide by the year 2002. This would yield estimated annual savings of$2.5 million in reduced utility bills, along with re- source savings of approximately 300 million gallons of water and wastewa- ter, 17.5 million kWh of electricity and 6000,000 therms of natural gas. If you want to become involved, contact Dave Munk, Program Manager for Colorado, at (970) 963-7476, or the Learning to be Waler Wise and Energy Efficient Program headquaners toll-free at 1-888-GETWISE(438-9743). Local As.sodatlon . Global Resources Glenwood Springs. Aspen. Vail (970) 945.5491