Through the use of video and social media, Western Farmers Electric have created a unique opportunity for junior and senior high school students to showcase their creativity and compete for close to $60,000 in scholarship dollars and grants while educating the general public on the benefits and the cost effectiveness of geothermal technology that is proving to be a viable solution to rising utility costs and environmental stewardship.
Having advanced through their respective regional competitions, only five state finalists remain and we need your help in determining our winners by voting online for your favorite videos. Having already won their regional competition and a $3,000 scholarship, these state finalists are now competing for an additional $12,000 in scholarship funds to be awarded to the top three videos … so it is kind of a big deal to these kids.
The second round of online voting is now under way at http://www.gogogeochallenge.com. With the online voting accounting for 20% of the total score, every vote counts and could be the difference between winning it all and not making the show. So please take a minute to view the videos and vote for your favorites. Note: We have attached voting instructions for those not familiar with online voting.
These five outstanding students and their parents will be recognized during our awards banquet on April 22 in Oklahoma City, with our winners to be announced at that time, following interviews and scoring with our judges.
The Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives are proud sponsors of this event, along with co-sponsors, ClimateMaster, Bosch and WaterFurnace. Why deliver the geothermal message? Let’s do the math:
If only 20% of the homes across Oklahoma were to convert to GEO we estimate a peaking capacity reduction across the state of around 546 megawatts (MW). This reduction could equate to a little over one billion dollars in savings by avoiding and/or deferring the construction of future capacity, not to mention the environmental impact of such reduction.
Fact is everyone wins when you go GEO! Homeowners installing the ground source systems see a drastic reduction in their utility bills, cooperatives benefit as wholesale demand costs decrease, and in turn, these savings are passed along to all co-op members. The G&T companies also win with reduced need for future capacity, and the environment wins because it is a green environmental solution.
We encourage you to share this information with your family, board members, co-workers and friends and help us spread the word by using all of your social media tools and vote vote vote! NOTE: The voting system only allows one vote per IP address per 24 hour interval. Keep in mind that firewalls and Wi-Fi networks are seen by our system as one IP address thus can limit the number of votes allowed daily through such systems.
Follow the instructions below to go online and vote:
1. Go to www.gogogeochallenge.com.
2. Click on the video you would like to watch, click on the play button and watch the short introduction video, then click on the video and watch through its entirety.
Join the conversation: