On The Road

August 6, 2009

Repeat customers know their stuff

Posted by Greg Zakoor
Where: North Vancouver

This term at BC Hydro marks my first summer spent in Vancouver. I am still getting to know the district of North Vancouver but thanks to my job in Community Outreach I really feel like I’m becoming a member of the community.

In such a tight-knit region such as this I have the pleasure of seeing some familiar faces at events around the city. In the month of July on the North Shore alone I have attended the North Vancouver Canada Day Celebration at Waterfront Park, a community cruiser in Deep Cove, a Gospel Concert in Deep Cove, the Teddy Bear Picnic, and a community cruiser at Ambleside Park.

With five events in 10 days within 20 km of each other you’re bound to hit some of the same people more than once. I very much enjoy speaking to children about what they learned from us at our last event, or which game they liked the most as it gives me an idea of what works best.

For example at Ambleside I ran into a 5-year-old who I had played our soccer game with at the Teddy Bear Picnic the Saturday before. He was going to get ice cream and was in the best of moods. I asked him what he remembered from our game and he happily stated that you need to turn out the lights when you leave a room. I then offered a few new ideas to him and his mom for conserving electricity. For his incredible memory (and his mother joining Team Power Smart) I rewarded him with our highly coveted LED, recycled pop bottle lanyard and I walked away full of pride.

Another repeat encounter happened during a community cruiser in Deep Cove when I bumped into a group of the same kids who were at Concerts in the Cove earlier that week. They took part in our curling game at the concert and when I saw them one girl remembered that the refrigerator uses the most energy of the appliances in her house. Another little girl hung her clothes to dry with her parents, and the last said that she was saving electricity by playing outside just like we told her. Again my ego grew at the thought of successfully spreading the good news of conservation to the next generation.

Then there was the child I ran into in Deep Cove who I had put through the slalom course on July 1st at Waterfront Park. He remembered my name so I thought I was three for three with energy saving converts. Accordingly I asked him “What did you learn from me on Canada Day.” Without hesitation he said to me, completely proud of himself, “You taught me how to clap the balloons” referring to our biodegradable ‘Bam Bam’ promotional item.

This really opened my eyes. Some people feel their jobs don’t have a purpose, but not me, I know that with Community Outreach I can make a real difference, teaching the world to make noise and cheer on conservation, if not conserve electricity, one child at a time.

Greg Zakoor is a Community Outreach representative based out of North Vancouver and will be at community events throughout the summer.