http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/news/article/917262

Money goes to support project to fuel climate change awareness

A Mount Allison University student who founded a project to teach youth about climate change has won a $5,000 grant to expand the program.

Keleigh Annau created Lights Out Canada when she was a 16-year-old student on Vancouver Island.

This year marks the fifth annual Lights Out event, during which schools are invited to turn off their lights and follow lesson plans that study the science of climate change, as well as outline what youth can do to change the situation.

In 2009, more than 100,000 students in four countries took part in the program. The grant should help even more schools participate this year.

"For the past four years, Lights Out Canada has relied solely on volunteers and in-kind support," Annau says in a news release.

The Co-operators awarded 12 grants totalling $47,000 to post-secondary students from across the country who participated in Impact!: The Co-operators Youth Conference for Sustainability Leadership.

The four-day conference which was held in Guelph, Ont. in September brought together 180 students who worked with sustainability experts to develop recommendations for more sustainable practices in various fields.

This year's Lights Out Canada event is scheduled for April 22 in partnership with Earth Day Canada.