August 20, 2009

Ottawa —An exciting new pilot project, designed to help Ottawa residents save fuel and money, protect the environment, and improve vehicle safety was launched at noon today, opening day of SuperEX at Lansdowne Park.

One Change:  Fuel, along with its partners-Natural Resources Canada, The Ontario Trillium Foundation, and Canadian Tire-were on hand to kick-off this unique pilot project. Staff and volunteers at the One Change:  Fuel booth at SuperEX distributed 1,000 free tire gauges and fuel-saving Canadian Tire coupons throughout the day to local area residents, along with an empowering message: simple actions matter. Each digital tire gauge and valuable coupon will result in annual savings of up to $90 in fuel and auto-service, and cut 140 kg of CO₂ emissions.

Four years after the launch of the award-winning Project Porchlight campaign in Ottawa, the One Change:  Fuel pilot campaign will see the delivery of 12,000 additional free fuel- and money-saving digital tire gauges along with Canadian Tire coupons to Ottawa residents. As part of the campaign, nine participating Canadian Tire stores will host family-friendly tire clinics during August and September, where consumers will learn how to properly check their tire pressure.

"We’re so excited to launch the latest innovative One Change campaign right here in Ottawa—the very same place we launched Project Porchlight, which has now spread across Canada and the US,” said One Change Founder and Executive Director Stuart Hickox. “One Change:  Fuel empowers drivers to believe that simple actions—like checking and maintaining your tire pressure on a regular basis—can improve your vehicle’s fuel efficiency, save you lots of money, and cut greenhouse gas emissions."

"The Government of Canada is investing in the One Change:  Fuel pilot project to help residents in Ottawa better maintain their vehicles and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Royal Galipeau, Member of Parliament for Ottawa–Orléans, on behalf of the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Natural Resources. “Small changes in our individual driving habits can help bring big returns in the long run—this project is just one example of how we are making these improvements for Canadians."

"This is an exciting campaign that will change the way Ottawa residents look at driving,” said Yasir Naqvi, MPP for Ottawa Centre. “One Change has already proven that simple actions have a huge impact on our environment. I am so proud that they are continuing to work with the community, engaging residents to find simple and easy everyday actions that make our world a cleaner, greener place."

"As the country’s leading automotive retailer, Canadian Tire is focused on providing customers with innovative automotive products that will help them save money and help the environment,” said Canadian Tire Vice President, Automotive, Tony Kuczynski. “One Change:  Fuel is a natural fit for us and we are pleased to lend our support to this worthwhile program."  

For more information, please contact: 
Andrea Petruzella, Media Consultant to One Change
Email: apetruzella@onechange.org
Telephone: 613.722.5910

About One Change
Our mission: One Change empowers people to believe that simple actions matter and to make smart choices that protect the environment.

With headquarters in Ottawa, the award-winning environmental non-profit organization has campaign offices in locations throughout Canada and the United States.

One Change delivers innovative community-based social marketing campaigns aimed at encouraging people to adopt environmentally-friendly behaviours, including its flagship energy efficiency campaign, Project Porchlight, which has delivered more than 2.3 million free compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to residents across North America.

With successful campaigns recently completed in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon and Vermont, Project Porchlight is shifting its focus to New Jersey—where a 1 million bulb campaign is in full swing—and to Washington State—where a collaborative new campaign has taken off this summer.

But One Change is about more than light bulbs. One Change is set to launch an innovative new pilot campaign to help drivers improve their fuel efficiency, save money, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. The One Change:  Fuel pilot campaign kicks off in Ottawa on August 20, 2009–opening day of SuperEX at Lansdowne Park.

About One Change:  Fuel
The One Change:  Fuel pilot campaign will see the delivery of 13,000 free fuel-saving digital tire gauges and Canadian Tire coupons to Ottawa residents this summer, which will help them save fuel and money, protect the environment, and improve vehicle safety.

The free tire gauges and coupons will result in the reduction of over 1,182,000 kg of CO₂ emissions, fuel savings of $1,170,000 for Ottawa residents, and will help prevent traffic accidents. If everyone in Canada kept their tires properly inflated, together we would save over $600 million on fuel and cut 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂.

One Change will host nine free Canadian Tire fuel-efficiency clinics during August and September. These fun-filled, family-friendly events will include: free digital tire gauges and coupons, as well as other giveaways, demonstrations on how to check and adjust tire pressure, refreshments, entertainment, plus contests with prizes.

More information on the One Change:  Fuel campaign and upcoming events can be found at: www.onechange.org/fuel.