Toronto - Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited hopes to set off a wave of competition within the city limits. The aim is to drive energy conservation through civic pride in a race between Toronto's 44 wards to achieve the most participation in conservation-related programs this spring and summer.

The utility is appealing to Torontonians' civic mindedness with a new campaign dubbed Count Me In Toronto. Residents across the city can log onto www.countmeintoronto.ca. By registering, 'points' will be applied to their specific ward and they will be automatically entered into a draw for one of five MacBooks.
   
To help spur Torontonians into action, Toronto Hydro is encouraging residents to take advantage of the Spring Turn On and Keep Cool programs. The Spring Turn On program involves giving away 40,000 free CFL bulbs at
participating Canadian Tire and The Home Depot stores in Toronto on the weekends of May 23 and May 30, and offers consumers discounts on the purchase of specialty CFLs and power bars with timers. Starting at 10 a.m., the first 350 Toronto residents at each Toronto location will receive a free specialty CFL (limit one specialty CFL per City of Toronto household).
   
Keep Cool, a program of the Clean Air Foundation, is returning for its fifth year on June 3 and is once again providing Torontonians who bring in their old, inefficient air conditioners to The Home Depot to be responsibly recycled with a $25 The Home Depot gift card. New in 2009, Keep Cool will also reward Torontonians with a $10 gift card(*) to those who bring in an old, inefficient dehumidifier. The program will run in Toronto-area The Home Depots for the first three weekends in June.
   
Actions taken from May 18 to September 6 will qualify for the Count Me In Toronto challenge. The winning ward will receive an environmentally sustainable retrofit to a public building within its civic boundaries.

"The purpose of Count Me In Toronto is to foster a greater sense of community pride by encouraging residents to green their neighbourhoods," said Toronto Hydro President and CEO, David O'Brien. "The hope is that citizens'
competitiveness will come out once customers log on to the website and see how their ward is doing and inspire them to participate in as many conservation programs as possible."
   
"This is a great opportunity for Torontonians to better get to know their neighbourhoods and the wards in which they live, and to take pride in making their immediate environment a cleaner, greener place," said campaign supporter and Ward 13 resident Mayor David Miller. "We encourage everyone in the city to have fun being eco-friendly and earn their community a green makeover for a public building."

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