The popularity of the anti-waste movement can be seen everywhere in Canada. Re-usable travel mugs, water bottles and shopping bags are common and prove that this philosophy is getting stronger but, for some reason, wasting power isn’t seen in the same light. BC Hydro’s campaign was designed to remind British Columbians that, just like with other resources, wasting power is something to be avoided.The spot features scenarios in which people act ridiculously wasteful. They act irresponsibly and in a way no one in the real world would really act, but in the spot it’s as if what they’re doing is perfectly normal. The last scenario features someone wasting electricity and is followed by a voice over that says “The most ridiculous thing about wasting power is that for some reason we don’t think it’s ridiculous”. This is then followed by the message “Let’s be smart with our power”.

BC Hydro reminded people how they could reduce their power consumption by doing it themselves. In this case they installed a motion sensor to a backlit transit shelter. The shelter only lit up when someone was present to view it. Their energy efficient out of home campaign saved over 100 Kwh of electricity.

This execution was part of a multi-media campaign that is attributed with convincing 84,000 additional households across the province to do more to conserve electricity. Recent research has found that a record breaking 91% of British Columbians are now practicing energy conscious behaviour in their homes.