The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, May 28, 2010 · 4 Energy Fair at Town Hall The Town of Oakville has signed on as a sponsoring community for the Power Pledge energy conservation program. The initiative challenges Ontario residents to reduce their electricity use by visiting the Power Pledge website and pledging to reduce "phantom power," which is the power consumed by electronics and appliances that are sleeping or off but are still plugged in to an outlet or power bar. "I encourage all Oakville residents to take the Power Pledge and follow the simple suggestions for reducing their energy use," Mayor Rob Burton said. "I think some people don't realize how easy it is to make a large dent in their household energy use. A big part of improving our air quality is using less energy overall, so not as much has to be produced by potentially polluting power plants." Residents who sign up to take the Power Pledge at the Oakville Conserves Energy Fair on Saturday, May 29 at Town Hall will be entered into a draw to win a green energy gift basket worth $150. The first 150,000 Power Pledge participants get 20 Air Miles reward miles for signing up. By taking the Power Pledge, residents are asked to: · Buy ENERGYSTAR lighting, fixtures and/or appliances · Wash their clothes in cold water and/or line-dry their laundry when possible · Get a home energy audit · Get rid of any old, inefficient fridges through the Great Refrigerator Roundup program, which picks up old appliances from your home · Program their thermostat to save energy The Oakville Conserves Energy Fair runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and showcases green energy information, services and products from companies, groups and agencies across Halton. A free workshop on using solar energy at home begins at 10 a.m., and a workshop on geothermal energy begins at 11 a.m. Exhibitors include Green Pole Solutions; Halton Environmental Network, Baseline Energy Services, Oakville Hydro, Power Save Solutions, Solar Ontario Limited, PRESTO from Oakville Transit, Union Gas and Bullfrog Power. The Oakvillegreen Community Garage & Plant Sale is taking place from 8 a.m. to noon on the same day in the Town Hall parking lot. For information, visit oakville.ca.