Fuel Efficiency Blog

Chet and Pat Skibinski (pictured here, from left) have a lot of energy. They put theirs to good use on October 14 when they decided to help empower others with the tools and knowledge to conserve energy and resources. The unstoppable couple—who are both fitness instructors—took some time to volunteer for One Change’s fuel efficiency Campaign Blitz in Toronto. They zoomed tirelessly through the crowds, giving away free digital tire gauges and spreading the word that simple actions matter.

“It was a learning experience on how to approach strangers, to break down their reluctance to take a few moments to engage,” says Chet. Working with his wife, Chet had a lot of success getting through to Toronto residents. In fact, their efforts were so well received that the pair decided to bring the message back to their hometown of Guelph.

“(Guelph has) a demographic that would understand and appreciate energy conservation,” says Chet. “Our current mayor won on a ballot of environmental sustainability.”

Chet and Pat grabbed two bags of digital tire gauges and headed back to Guelph. Within a week, they’d called One Change to ask for more. “We knew that we had people who would appreciate and make good use of the tire gauges,” says Chet. “We had no trouble delivering almost four bags of gauges.”

To date, the energy-conscious couple has distributed more than 150 free digital tire gauges throughout their Guelph neighbourhood. Their efforts have played a significant part in our fuel efficiency campaign, which is sponsored by Canadian Tire.

Chet is happy to make time for the campaign because, put simply, he believes in it. “(One Change) has a chance of convincing individuals and ultimately a culture to do the right thing,” he says. “It has a clear, understandable focus: saving money during these difficult economic times; and reducing human impact on our precious environment… (Showing people that) simple actions matter creates a buzz, becomes an unstoppable energy.”