Young West Hartford Pupil Earns Statewide Award In Energy Education

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — A Bugbee Elementary School pupil was recently recognized as one of Connecticut's top young advocates for energy efficiency and sustainability in the 21st Annual eesmarts Student Contest.

Elizabeth Johnson, a fifth-grade student at the West Hartford school, earned second place in the contest's Energy Saving Superhero Character category for her creation, "Super Sue-lutions."

According to contest organizers, Super Sue-lutions helps homeowners and renters understand their home's energy performance and identify ways to reduce energy use, including installing insulation.

The annual contest, presented by Energize Connecticut in partnership with Eversource and Avangrid utility subsidiaries United Illuminating, Southern Connecticut Gas and Connecticut Natural Gas, invites students in grades K-12 to demonstrate their knowledge of energy efficiency, sustainability and renewable energy.

Students could submit projects in a variety of formats, including essays, poems, posters, comic strips, social media campaigns and superhero character concepts.

More than 380 students from across Connecticut submitted entries this year.

Organizers selected 35 finalists representing 21 schools in 23 communities.

Finalists were honored during an awards ceremony May 12 at the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford, where they received certificates and prizes.

The eesmarts program is designed to help Connecticut students learn about energy conservation, efficiency and clean energy technologies.