B.C. Students Square Off for Terasen Gas Environmental Wits Challenge

Students across the province are gearing up for the annual Terasen Gas Environmental Mind Grind – an academic challenge designed to promote environmental stewardship in honor of Earth Day.

“We are proud to be working together with schools and partners in support of the Environmental Mind Grind event,” said Elvia Picco, Community Relations Manager, Terasen Gas. “Students put forth amazing effort and commitment to learn about a wide range of environmental topics and the competition tests their knowledge in a fun and motivating manner. The Mind Grind provides an opportunity for winning high school teams and students to share $4,000 in scholarship prizes.”

Elementary, middle and high school students from the Okanagan, Interior and Nanaimo will come together to compete in the game show style trivia contest. The Terasen Gas Environmental Mind Grind is organized by environmental educators in each of the participating communities, with regional first-round competitions being held around the province in Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton, Kamloops and Nanaimo.

Regional event winners will go on to compete in the B.C. Playoffs, hosted in Lake Country. As the title sponsor, Terasen Gas awards each member of the winning high school team with $1,000 towards post-secondary education. Members of the runner-up high school team receive a $300 bursary.

The City of Kelowna has been an organizer of the event since its inception in 2000. Richard Marsden with City of Kelowna Community and Media Relations says, “Students and teachers rave how Mind Grind makes learning about environmental issues so much fun. We’ve got 26 schools and 36 teams signed up this year, and it seems the popularity of Mind Grind just keeps on growing!”

Teams of students from Grades 4 to 12 sign up in January and work with their teachers – learning from specially prepared study packages, covering many topics, including energy conservation, waste reduction, climate change, transportation and air quality, forestry and watershed health.

Return to May 2010 Western Energy News

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