New Campaign Encourages Tweens to Make Smart Energy Choices

September 12, 2008

Sept. 12, 2008 - DOE and the Advertising Council announced the launch of a new series of public service advertisements designed to educate tweens about the importance of energy efficiency.

In a February 2008 national survey of kids ages 8-12, 85% of respondents believed that they could lead their family to do what is needed to consume less energy in the home. The new campaign entitled "What's Your Excuse?" highlights the simplicity of making energy efficient changes in the home and asks kids to join millions of others to make a difference by using their energy wisely.

"By using energy wisely, every American can tap the cheapest, most abundant, and most reliable source of new energy available: the energy that we waste every day," Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman said. "This campaign is a call to action for America's youth—I hope that it will inform and inspire them to make simple, smart energy decisions that will help reduce our growing energy demand."

Created pro bono by Goodby, Silverstein, and Partners, the new TV, radio, outdoor, and Web advertising encourages kids to save energy with an Energy Action Plan, a simple 10-step action list to help encourage better energy use in the home. The public service announcements (PSAs) direct viewers to a new interactive Web site, Lose Your Excuse, where they can learn fun, simple tips on energy efficient behaviors and new technological advances to reduce energy consumption in the home.

"We are thrilled to partner with DOE and Goodby on this campaign to encourage tweens to practice good energy-saving activities with their parents in order to make their homes more energy efficient," according to Peggy Conlon, President & CEO of The Advertising Council.

A second series of PSAs, including TV, online and outdoor, also developed through the Ad Council, are designed to educate 8-9 year-olds on positive energy efficient habits. The PSAs drive kids to visit the EERE Kids page.

Energy use is on the rise around the world. By 2030, global energy demand is expected to increase 50% above 2005 levels, with electricity demand alone in the United States projected to rise 29% over the same period. Increasing demand requires additional supplies to keep costs low, ensure reliability, and reduce America's dependence on foreign energy sources. At the same time, this growing demand must be addressed in the context of global climate change. Consumers can make a significant difference on all these fronts by reducing demand through simple energy efficiency measures. For example, households that install energy-saving bulbs can cut energy used for lighting by more than 80%.

Per the Ad Council model, the PSAs will be distributed to media outlets nationwide beginning today and will run and air in advertising time and space that is donated by the media. For more information, see the Ad Council press release.