Luis from Hanson Park School submitted this fridge drawing.

This is John from St Mary School.  He's helping his parent change out a dirty furnace filter.  You might not know it, but your central air conditioning system probably uses the same filter and blower fan that your furnace uses.  Allowing this filter to get clogged up with dust and debris means your fan must work harder to move the same amount of air through your home's ducts.  That means it could use more electricity.  It could also be unhealthy.  Check your filter according to manufacturer's instructions and change it when necessary. You'll keep your heating & cooling system cleaner and more energy efficient -- and you'll breathe easy knowing you're saving money!

This St Cyril & Methodius family enjoys a good ol' fashioned BBQ.  They also can enjoy lower electric bills, not just because their gas grill doesn't require electricity, but because by taking the heat-generating cooking outside, they can help keep the inside of their home cooler.  And that can help their home's air conditioning system work less hard, saving electricity.  Nice job!

"Thank you for giving kids a chance to recognize energy usage in our homes.  This has been a fun project.  I am attaching a photo of Stephen placing the refrigerator thermometer.  (Very cool idea. Pun intended)  Plus every time we open the door we are now reminded to walk around the house and turn off any lights.  So thanks for helping us save money!" ~ JoAnn, St Cyril & Methodius

Here's Pete from St Cyril checking plug load on a switchable power cord.  Pete knows how to "really" turn off electronics by clicking off the power at the switch -- this eliminates phantom load and unnecessary electric usage.  Nice job, Pete!

Peter from St Cyril & Methodius checked his fridge temp and found it a couple degrees cooler than necessary.  Hey, Pete, if you get your parents to set the thermostat to 35 or 36 degrees, you'll save energy and money! 

This St Mary School family has been visiting the Earth Month Challenge Web site to check on the leaderboard and see what other students are doing to save energy via the Blog page.  Smart idea!  We are in the final days of the Challenge and every point counts!  Keep saving those energy dollars and submitting your ideas!  And don't forget to post your pix and comments to social media space (if you've provided your social media

Who's a "closer?"  A pitcher who comes in during the 9th inning to shut down the opposing team's late-game rally.  A shrewd negotiator who brings a deal to fruition after others have failed for months to do so.  And now... Gianna from St Cyril.  She's a closer because she doesn't stand there with the fridge door open while thinking about what food she wants to eat.  She keeps a tight lid on energy waste and makes sure the rest of her family does, too.  Way to go, Gianna!!

Anthony from St Mary School doesn't.  He knows that standing in front of an open fridge allows all the cold air to spill out.  And that means the fridge's compressor has to work hard to cool down the fridge again.  Nice job, Anthony!

Oliva and Ella from St Cyril & Methodius received their ComEd refrigerator thermometer and made this short little movie to show people how to use it.  Nice job, girls!  Yours is the first video we've received all month!!!