For Immediate Release
Contact
Justin Mulcahy
justin.mulcahy@bge.com
Contest now held in the fall asks students to submit a gas safety-themed three-panel comic strip
BALTIMORE (Aug. 28, 2017) – Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) today announced the return of the "Adventures of Captain MercaptanSM, BGE Natural Gas Safety Hero Challenge." The contest challenges elementary school students in BGE's service area to submit a three-panel comic strip, illustrating a natural gas safety message featuring Captain Mercaptan, BGE's fictional natural gas safety superhero. The contest, being held in the fall, will award a total of $35,000 to eligible schools.
The submission phase is now open and runs through Nov. 13. A mobile device power bank will be awarded to the first five teachers to submit an entry. Public and private elementary schools in BGE's service area are urged to download the online entry kit and read our comic book featuring Captain Mercaptan. In the comic book, Captain Mercaptan teaches kids how to recognize a natural gas leak and what steps to take when they smell gas. Captain Mercaptan's name is derived from "mercaptan," a safety additive that BGE and other utilities put in natural gas to give it a distinctive rotten egg odor that makes gas easier to detect. The superhero and his safety sidekicks were designed by elementary school students through the BGE contest.
"At BGE, maintaining a safe and reliable natural gas system and educating our customers about living and working safely around natural gas is a priority," said Christie McMullen, vice president of Gas Distribution, BGE. "The Captain Mercaptan Natural Gas Safety Hero Challenge creates awareness around the important topic of natural gas safety, forms partnerships with area schools and opens up avenues to communicate other important messages to our young people."
Schools are also encouraged to use the entry kit at BGEGasHero.com to review natural gas safety concepts and elements of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) with kindergarten through fifth grade students, and begin creating their contest entries. Beginning Nov. 20, entries will compete for votes during a two-week, online public voting period. The winning schools will be announced in January. Last year's winning entry was from Windsor Farm Elementary School in Annapolis. To date, BGE has awarded $140,000 to area schools during the first four contests.
Eligible schools will have an opportunity to win the following awards:
Additionally, teachers who submit winning entries will receive gift cards to assist with school supplies and classroom materials. The grand prize winning teacher will receive a $500 gift card and the four other winning teachers will receive $100 gift cards.
Captain Mercaptan teaches children that they can be a hero too if they follow these simple safety tips:
BGE traces its roots back to 1816 and the first gas utility in North America. Today the company provides safe, reliable natural gas service to more than 650,000 gas customers in central Maryland. Customers are reminded to immediately contact BGE at 1.800.685.0123 from a safe location if they have any questions or concerns about natural gas. For more information on the Captain Mercaptan contest, including future adventures, visit bgegashero.com. Gas safety tips are available at bge.com/CaptainMercaptan.
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BGE, founded in 1816 as the nation's first gas utility and headquartered in Baltimore, is Maryland's largest natural gas and electric utility. The company's approximately 3,200 employees are committed to safe and reliable energy delivery to more than 1.3 million electric customers and more than 680,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland. In the J.D. Power 2017, 2018, and 2019 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Studies SM BGE was ranked Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Business Electric Service in the East among Large Utilities. In the J.D. Power 2018 and 2019 Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Studies SM BGE was ranked Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Business Natural Gas Service among utilities in the East Region. BGE is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (Nasdaq: EXC), the nation's leading competitive energy provider. Connect with BGE on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, and engage with the latest BGE stories on bgenow.com.
Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (or "BGE") received the highest score in the East Region of the 2019 Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study and the East Large Segment of the 2019 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study of gas and electric utility customer satisfaction among business customers. Visit jdpower.com/awards.