It’s not often that we can see something in our lives that has had a positive impact on others and perhaps even the world — and continues on long after we’re gone.
Parksville’s Keleigh Annau is someone who does, and whose efforts on combating climate change should last for decades.
The Ballenas Secondary School graduate helped create the Lights Out Canada program seven years ago. Today, that same program is being put in practise in local schools and homes, thanks to Keleigh’s ongoing promotional efforts from university in Nova Scotia.
Her project was a simple one that many people, regardless of age, could adopt. It followed the concept that if we all use a little less power — in the form of lights — our generation needs could decline and that impact on global warming might be reduced.
Keleigh’s project caught on and is in practise across the country.
It’s an amazing story that The News covered when she first came up with the idea — to today, as she continues to follow up and make her idea a reality.
It’s that sort of dedication that can and will make change. And it’s a positive change, no matter how you look at the issue of climate change. Even the most jaded skeptic must see the potential energy savings — and perhaps cost savings as a result — by turning off unnecessary lights and then all lights for a short period of time.
Add that into the tradition of following around your spouse or your children and turning off all the lights they leave on in the middle of the day, and there’s a whole lot of savings going on.
It might not be an election. Nor is it a citizen’s revolt in a country that really needs it. But Keleigh’s Lights Out Canada effort is one piece in the ongoing puzzle of how we can make each others’ lives just a little brighter.