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BY THE NUMBERS
Behind the Energy Star label
The Energy Star logo, that little blue (sometimes black) logo with the star inside that you see on all sorts of devices, has changed the way Americans
buy appliances and consumer electronics. A joint project of the U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Energy Star program tests a wide variety of devices to independently verify they meet or exceed federal energy efficiency standards. If
the appliance or electronic carries the Energy Star logo, you know it’s among the most energy-efficient products available. —PAUL WESSLUND
$30 billion
Estimated energy-cost savings consumers have enjoyed by using Energy Star-rated products
300 million
Number of Energy Star-rated products purchased in 2017 alone
500
Number of testing labs, in 25 countries around the globe, evaluating products against Energy Star standards
1,500
Approximate number of new products tested each year
75%
Percentage of U.S. households that say the Energy Star label influences their purchases
25%
Energy-use reduction that must be proven by lab testing before a computer can earn the Energy Star label
Making science fun
What happens when you ask fourth and fififth graders across South Carolina to study electricity, then share what they know with other kids by writing and illustrating books on the subject? It turns out you get some very creative ways to teach science and technology.
The Children’s Book Challenge— sponsored by EnlightenSC, an educational initiative of the state’s independent, consumer-owned electric cooperatives— is an annual competition that asks students to explore the impact of electricity on their lives, commu-
nities and the state.
“South
Carolina’s electric
cooperatives have
been committed
to powering rural
communities since
1938,” says Lindsey
Smith, vice president
for education at The
Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, Inc. “This concern for communities,
and the future of our youth, has carried forward to today. By inspiring students to learn more about energy in our state, S.C.’s electric co-ops hope to spark a passion for critical thinking in the minds of tomorrow’s leaders.”
Carolyn Zheng, a fififth grader at Gold Hill Elementary School in Fort Mill, won the 2020 Children’s Book Challenge (and a $500 cash prize) for her entry, When Wind Meets Windmill.
Her book, which explains how wind- mills generate clean, renewable energy, was selected as a regional winner by her local co-op, York Electric. A panel of judges gave it top honors from a fifield of eight regional fifinalists.
“The judges were impressed with the quality of both the story and illus- trations Carolyn created for her book,” says Porter Gable of York Electric
Carolyn Zheng, a fifth grader at Gold Hill Elementary School
in Fort Mill, won the 2020 Children’s Book Challenge (and
a $500 cash prize) for her entry, When Wind Meets Windmill.
Cooperative. “She’s a gifted artist and writer at a young age, and electric co-ops are pleased to be able to recognize and reward her work.”
When Wind Meets Windmill will be published and distributed to elementary schools throughout the state. During a live video conference announcing her win, Zheng explained her approach to the challenge.
“I had in mind to make it a little comic,” she says. “So, I drew these two characters, the windmill and the wind, to make it more fun to read.”
GET MORE To read Carolyn
Zheng’s winning book, visit SCLiving.coop/book-challenge to download a PDF version of When Wind Meets Windmill.
For more information on the Children’s Book Challenge and other educational programs sponsored by South Carolina’s electric cooperatives, visit enlightensc.org.
    6 SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | MAY 2020 | SCLIVING.COOP