NEWTON, Iowa, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ — Wash your hands. Tie your shoes. Turn off the lights when you leave the room. Habits formed in childhood tend to stick with us for the rest of our lives. Many kids haven’t learned that there are lots of simple things they can do to help conserve our precious energy and water resources. Ol’ Lonely and the Apprentice, the Maytag(R) repairmen, with help from some friends at The National Theatre for Children (NTC), want to change that.
During the school year they will visit elementary schools across the United States and perform a live theatre program on energy and water conservation. The program includes classroom and at-home activities that help children learn about the small, simple things they can do to make a big difference in conserving energy and water.
As part of the effort, Maytag will launch the “Maytag(R) Junior Apprentice Club(TM)” to further promote energy and water conservation. Among other benefits, kids who join the Club will receive a letter from the Maytag Apprentice and tips on how they can help save water and energy. In keeping with the Apprentice’s focus on innovation, kids who join the Club will be invited to send their ideas for saving water and energy to Maytag. Once a year the Maytag Apprentice will select the winning ideas, and winners and their schools will receive a special award from Maytag.
Maytag leads the appliance industry in promoting energy and water efficiency. This is the company’s first foray into bringing the conservation message directly to school children.
“Maytag is proud to partner with the U.S. Department of Energy to bring The National Theatre for Children into schools to educate children about energy and water conservation,” said Chris Wignall, vice president of marketing at Maytag Appliances. “The National Theatre for Children has an excellent reputation for using live theatre to present important issues to children. We’re excited to have Ol’ Lonely and the Apprentice be part of this effort, and the kids will enjoy having them visit their schools.”
The live theatre program, entitled “Conservation Dalmatian,” will debut at an elementary school in Dallas, Texas, on November 19. It features Clayton the Dalmatian, newspaper reporter for “The Daily Beagle.” Clayton is trying to figure out how water and energy are being wasted all over town. With the help of the Maytag Men and his friends Ebert the Fish and Dustin the Mouse, Clayton gathers the facts that will help him write a front-page story.
“Conserving energy and water doesn’t have to be inconvenient or involve major lifestyle changes,” noted Marsha Penhaker of the U.S. Department of Energy. “Sometimes it just means a simple change in habit, like turning out the lights when you leave the room. Or it could involve trading in an older, less energy-efficient appliance for a newer one that carries an ENERGY STAR(R) rating.”
The savings can be significant. Turning off the faucet while you brush your teeth can save up to four gallons of water every time you brush. A new refrigerator can use 50 percent less energy than one that is 10 years old. A high-efficiency washing machine can save more than 8,000 gallons of water every year — more than the average person drinks in a lifetime.
Maytag wants to help children develop energy- and water-saving habits that will last a lifetime. When it comes to preserving precious resources, children and their families need to know that little things can make a big difference.
About Maytag
For the better part of a century, Maytag(R) brand appliances have been synonymous with dependability and quality. Today, Maytag remains one of America’s most trusted appliance manufacturers. Based in Newton, Iowa, Maytag Appliances offers a full line of high-performance appliances, including the Maytag(R) Gemini(R) double-oven range, Neptune(R) and Atlantis(R) washers and dryers, Wide-by-Side(TM) refrigerator with ClimateZone(TM) technology, and Jetclean(R) II, the world’s first three-rack dishwasher. For more information on any Maytag appliance or to purchase an appliance online, visit http://www.maytag.com/ .
About ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR is a national symbol for energy efficiency that identifies products which meet strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Products that have earned the ENERGY STAR help consumers save energy, money, and the environment without sacrificing performance. To learn more about ENERGY STAR, please visit http://www.energystar.gov/ .
About The National Theatre for Children
Founded in 1978, The National Theatre for Children has created a rare and successful combination of education and marketing that brings some of America’s best known brands into the nation’s schools as sponsors of live, educational theatre programs. NTC programs focus on important societal issues such as nutrition, environmental conservation and tobacco prevention. Sponsors of previous educational programs have included Dole Food Company, UnitedHealthcare, American Electric Power and ShopRite Supermarkets.
Contact: John Merritt Carmichael Lynch Spong (612) 375-8528 jmerritt@clynch.com Jill Spiekerman Maytag Appliances (641) 787-6886 jspiek@maytag.com Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031117/CGM052AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Maytag
CONTACT: John Merritt of Carmichael Lynch Spong, +1-612-375-8528,jmerritt@clynch.com , or Jill Spiekerman of Maytag Appliances,+1-641-787-6886, jspiek@maytag.com
Web site: http://www.maytag.com/http://www.energystar.gov/