VANCOUVER, Oct. 26 /CNW/ - Vancouver-based producers Ric Beairsto and Daniel Leipnik have inked a deal with CBC Television for the broadcast of a new kind of home renovation TV show. "CODE GREEN CANADA", a six-part series that will broadcast on CBC Television in the spring of 2006, puts an environmental spin on a home renovation contest. Twelve homeowners from across the country will compete to retrofit their homes in an effort to reduce their energy and water consumption, as well as their greenhouse gas emissions. The homeowner who manages to reduce consumption and emissions the most will win a highly celebrated 2006 hybrid Prius, courtesy of Toyota Canada.
The show's producers are now seeking a dozen homeowners from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and the Maritimes who wish to participate in this television special. Each contestant will receive a grant of $15,000 to be spent on new furnaces, lighting fixtures, appliances, insulation, windows and other possible means of reducing energy and water consumption and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. The homeowners will receive expert advice from EnerGuide for Houses auditors and utility consultants on their current energy consumption, a measurement of their current consumption, and tips and information on the changes they can make to reduce their energy needs.
Once the retrofits have been completed, each family's home will have its energy usage re-measured, and the family which has found a way to reduce their consumption the most will win the Toyota Prius. Also, as part of a federal government initiative called the "One Tonne Challenge" (a program that asks every Canadian to reduce their annual greenhouse gas emissions by one tonne) each homeowner will also qualify for an EnerGuide for Houses Retrofit Incentive grant worth as much as $3000.
Last year Beairsto and Leipnik shot the two-part series Code Green BC which saw four homeowners competing for a hybrid car. After a successful airing in May and June of 2005 on CBC Television in British Columbia, the producers began work on Code Green Canada.
The new national version of Code Green will involve a vastly increased level of production logistics, with four separate producers right across the country coordinating as many as five different crews shooting simultaneously. "It all happens in a limited timeframe, and everywhere in Canada at the same time," explains veteran TV producer Ric Beairsto, "so the degree of organization needed on our part is extraordinary. But just like the BC version, it's going to be a really fun and practical way for us to see how each and every one of us can do our part to reduce energy consumption."
The series has attracted the financial support of an unprecedented list of organisations and businesses that agree on the urgent need for energy conservation and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and provide programs and services that help Canadians to reduce energy use in the home. The list of supporters includes the Government of Canada, Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada, the Provincial Ministries of Energy & Mines in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Nova Scotia, BC Hydro, Terasen Gas, Sask Power, Sask Energy, The Ontario Power Authority, Chatham-Kent Hydro, powerWISE Alliance, Enbridge Gas, Union Gas, The Toronto Atmospheric Fund, One Tonne Toronto, Toyota Canada, Green Living Magazine, and municipal governments in Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, Saskatoon, Toronto, Chatham Kent, and Halifax.
Mike Krafczyk, manager of customer communications at BC Hydro's Power Smart Program, couldn't be happier: "CODE GREEN CANADA is going to enable every Canadian to see real people making real decisions on how to apply some of the energy savings technology now available to us all."
Families who wish to be considered for the CODE GREEN television challenge are invited to visit the show's website at www.codegreen.tv, where an application form is available. To be eligible, homes must be typical single family dwellings, originally built before 1985, and heated by natural gas or oil.
The show's lead producer, Daniel Leipnik, is overjoyed that the home grown BC version has gone national: "With energy prices escalating beyond control, it's even more important that people are given the right tips as to how they can reduce their electric and gas bills by making their homes more energy efficient," states Leipnik, "What's fascinating is that in addition to insulating well and replacing appliances that use too much energy, there's also a lot we can each do in our everyday lives, our actual behaviours, to keep our energy bills down." The behaviours that Leipnik alludes to can be as simple as hanging clothes instead of putting them in the dryer, turning lights and computers off when not in use, and ensuring that washing machines and dishwashers are full when turned on.
Following the Government of Canada's signing of the Kyoto Protocol, and its launching of an initiative intended to see Canada take a leading role in helping to reduce the effect mankind is having on climate change, utility companies right across Canada are stressing the need to conserve energy.
Beairsto, with a history of social issue filmmaking behind him, feels strongly about climate change: "Scientists around the world are in agreement that we must massively reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions we produce, which only increase the incidence of extreme weather patterns, pollution, floods, droughts, and irregular crop production. Through CODE GREEN, we hope to provide the public with information in a new and entertaining way that will show how they can reduce energy consumption at home, where 40% of our use of fossil fuels are consumed to support activities like heating, cooking and drying clothes."
The search for the twelve lucky homeowners begins in November 2005 and shooting will commence in December. The producers expect to be inundated with applications, which must include pictures of the homeowners and their homes.
"The best thing about CODE GREEN CANADA is that everyone wins. Each of the homeowners is going to have their home's energy usage reviewed as part of the EnerGuide for Houses audit system, then they're going to have their homes made more energy efficient, and they'll qualify for a rebate from the federal government. What's more, they'll see the value of their homes increase and, for years to come, they'll enjoy reduced electricity and gas bills. And if all this isn't enough of an incentive to apply, one homeowner will own a $35,000 Toyota Prius hybrid car to complement their energy conscious lifestyle. That's an incredible deal, never mind the good feeling that comes with helping the environment," adds Leipnik.
Homeowners wishing to try their luck at being selected as one of the twelve competitors should fill out an online questionnaire at www.codegreen.tv
Information on the Producers:
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CODE GREEN CANADA is an official inter-provincial co-production between Ric Beairsto of Laughing Mountain Communications (BC) and Daniel Leipnik of Vibrance Alive Entertainment (BC), Ron E Scott of Prairie Dog Productions (Alberta), Paul Scherzer of Six Island Productions (Ontario), and Edward Piell of Tell Tale Productions (Nova Scotia).
For further information: about CODE GREEN contact: Daniel Leipnik, Lead Producer, Tel (604) 709-8098 or (604) 788-0172, Email: daniel@vibrancealive.com; www.codegreen.tv
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