How Do You Use Energy in Your Life?

There are a lot of things that I take for granted in life, and energy is definitely one of them. Every morning I wake up, grab a hot shower, make a pot of coffee and read my email before waking up my children. I use heat, lights and hot water for my comfort; the coffee maker keeps me sane; and the computer is where I work and how I earn a living. Energy fuels our car to get the kids to school and work, and powers the school so the kids can learn. It runs the plants that create important products that we use every day and it keeps important medical equipment operating. Energy is a vital resource and Shell Canada is encouraging Canadians to explore the role that energy plays in our lives. As important as energy is for our daily living, it is also an integral part of the quality time that I spend traveling with my family.

I didn’t do a lot of traveling as a child or as a young adult. In fact, I boarded my first airplane when I was 36 years old but in the few years since then I have been making up for what I missed early on. I am sharing incredible experiences with my children too. My children spend enough time in front of screens so we try to take advantage of amazing outdoor adventures whenever we can. Despite the fact that we are enjoying nature and the outdoors, energy was necessary in each of the following experiences.

My youngest son not only saw his first mountain early this year, he was also able to ride to the top of a mountain in a tram. It was a breathtaking view and incredible memory that was only possible thanks to the energy it took to run the tram. On the same trip, we went on a hot air balloon ride. This was a first for both of us and an item off of my bucket list. Floating over Albuquerque, New Mexico allowed us to see the ancient petroglyphs and get an incredible view of the area.

My whole family has had the chance to go boating more than once, and take part in fun activities like tubing and fishing. We have watched a bald eagle fly overhead from a lake in Vermont and witnessed a majestic whale in Massachusetts. These are experiences we couldn’t have had without the boat and the energy that fuels it.

Shell Canada’s operations produce enough energy each day to meet the world’s oil demand for more than four minutes. Have you ever had the power go out for four minutes? It seems like an eternity! Take a look at this video…

Four minutes of energy to every person in the world, every single day. That is astronomical. This is something we all need to stop taking for granted and start thinking about. Canada has both the opportunity and challenge to develop our resources in a way that not only supports our quality of life and economic strength here at home but also supports the needs of a growing world.

Using our energy effectively is important to the future of our planet. As a parent, it is important to me. I teach the children to recycle and not leave the water running and I remind them to turn off lights. I wash my clothes in cold water and run my dishwasher and washer in off peak hours. I try to keep the air conditioner off or at least run it warmer than average and open the windows instead. These choices save us money and also help give my children a brighter future but there is so much more that we can be doing.

Shell is inviting Canadians to explore the role that energy plays in their lives to help them better understand where it comes from and the many different ways we use it. Shell believes in a future where Canada can lead in both energy and the environment, and where environmental technology will be a global source of competitive advantage. To help reach that goal, they are hosting the Energy 4 Seven Billion Contest.
Energy 4 Seven Billion is challenging Canadians to think of a dream experience, initiative or project and the ways in which energy can be used to help power it. The most creative, innovative submission that also demonstrates how energy can be used responsibly in the experience will win a $25,000 Grand Prize. Imagine how many amazing experiences you could have with your family if you won $25,000, so be sure to enter the contest and make your own dream energy experience come true!The contest is open to Canadians (excluding Quebec) from now until September 30^th.

To enter:

• Step 1: Describe in 500 words or less their dream energy experience, and how energy would play a role in making it happen.
• Step 2: Share your idea on their Facebook page and invite family and friends to “like” your experience. The top 10 most “liked” ideas will be finalists and judged by a panel of energy experts to determine the Grand Prize winner.

Click here to check out what other people are wishing for and see how integral and unexpected energy is in our lives.

Energy 4 Seven Billion Official Terms & Conditions: http://s00.static-shell.com/content/dam/shell-new/local/country/can/downloads/pdf/e47b-contesttc.Pdf

Disclosure: Although this post has been generously sponsored by Shell Canada, the opinions and language are all my own, and in no way do they reflect Shell Canada.