Energy Smart winners named

This October, Conway Corporation celebrated Energy Awareness Month and Public Power Week by encouraging local students to show their energy smarts and participate in an essay contest. Students in fifth through 12th grades were asked to write about “Empowering our Generation for Energy Conservation.” First, second and third place prizes were awarded in two age categories, fifth through seventh grade and eighth through 12th grade.

“The Energy of Change” by Conway Junior High freshman Jillian Tang won first place. “Generation Y: Empowered” by Conway High School senior Zoe Allison received second place, and “One Earth” by CHS senior Byron Burrell II received third place.

In the other grade category, Sawyer Bentley, Rebecca Dillon and Carigan Foster won first, second and third place, respectively. All three are fifth-graders at Carl Stuart Middle School.

Following are excerpts from Tang’s and Bentley’s winning essays.

Tang: “Throughout history, humans have always sought ways to improve their lives. Early civilizations did this by creating tools. Eventually, these tools became complex machines that did every task that humans wanted, from construction to transportation. Of course, tools require energy, and so energy shorter showers. There are many other ways to help. Together, we can make an impact towards improving our lives, just as humans have always done.”

Bentley: “To save our world we need to empower our generation to be able to make good choices on how to conserve energy. In the following essay you will find just a few ways we can make a difference with our generation to help conserve energy for our future generations to come.

“Whenever you walk out of a room in your house be sure to turn off the lights. Believe me, this will save a lot of energy. Always unplug chargers, fans, game systems and basically anything with a plug that is not being used at the time. Also you can use battery-powered things that have rechargeable batteries. This will help save money and energy. Recycling helps conserve energy as well as conserves many of our natural resources. Water usage is another way to save energy. We need to turn the water off when brushing our teeth and not take really long showers.

“We as a generation need to start being more aware of our earth and conserve for our future. We need to walk when we only have short distances to go. We also need to use electric transportation like cars, motorcycles and scooters. This would reduce our dependence on natural resources as well. These are just a few ways we can save energy on a daily basis.”

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2013 Energy Smart Essay Contest, and thank you to all students who submitted an entry. Conway Corporation is proud of these students who continue to encourage us all to conserve energy in our everyday lives.