The Campaign

Cool the Store… and nothing more.

The 2010 Campaign is underway…

2010 looks like it will be a hot summer, so we are breaking out the posters and hiring street teams again.  We’ve made a lot of progress over the past few years in reminding stores that air conditioning sidewalks just doesn’t jive with a culture of conservation.  And it looks like a lot of stores and restaurants are getting the message, either by keeping doors closed when running A/C or installing an air curtain.

This year, we have partnered with the Ontario Power Authority, Toronto Hydro, greenTbiz (and others TBA) to keep the campaign running and to provide stores with other ideas and information that will help them save even more energy!

Two teams are out canvassing business areas over the summer months, handing out posters and information sheets on energy saving incentives for businesses.

But don’t wait for us to come to you!

  • Businesses: You can download and print a poster yourself.
  • Volunteers and community groups: You can run a Doors Closed campaign in any community! It’s cheap (printing posters is the only physical cost). if you want to organize a Doors Closed campaign for your community. Our artwork is shareware. Contact us and we can design a version with your logo on it.

The Doors Closed campaign was first run in Ontario in 2006.  The idea has since been copied / adapted (with our blessings!) in the United Kingdom and New York, which is really cool!

Here’s some notes on our 2008 campaign, and if you browse through the sections in this site you’ll find information from all our past annual campaigns.

The 2008 campaign…

After two solid years of campaigning, people all across Ontario know that air-conditioning the sidewalk is just not acceptable.

Thank-you…

In smaller communities and neighbourhoods, we’re told that very few stores would dare waste energy. They know people will give them heck, or even walk past their store if the air conditioner is on the and the door is wide open. Way to go folks!

Okay, we still have a problem with some of the big chains and the urban centres. We’ll be keeping up the pressure on them to get with the times.

And then there’s those stores with air curtains (a blower that creates an air barrier at the door). Yes, they are better than an open door, but we’d rather spend our precious volunteer energy promoting a solution that is simpler and better at saving energy — keep the door closed when running a/c.

So here’s how you can help keep the momentum going:

  1. For stores: print off a poster and post it on your door or in the front window to let customers know you are conserving energy
  2. For business associations: point your members to this website, or produce your own version of the poster with your logo.
  3. For community groups and volunteers: If you want to run a community campaign, you can print your own or we’ll send you the posters.
    1. start by offering posters to the stores that are doing the right thing. Build visibility in the community.
    2. talk to stores that have the door open (and are running a/c). Be polite and encourage them to take advantage of the marketing support the campaign offers for stores that conserve!
    3. be sure to invite local media along with you as you hand out posters.
    4. Raise awareness and support in the community through displays at community events or by talking to local groups.
    5. Be positive, and have fun!

You can download any of a number of variations of the poster on the artwork page, including a generic version and nine different languages (courtesy of the City of Toronto).

Feel free to browse through the websitse, where we have many of the highlights and resources of the 2006 campaign.