In November 2008, Discover and Shell sponsored a video contest to explain how the future of energy will unfold. The contest finalists are above. Nathanael Greene—director of renewable energy policy at the NRDC and the official contest judge—agreed with the viewers who voted that the best entry was Solar Energy Is H.O.T.:

"I love the concrete and clear presentation. I thought it did a good job of laying out the different ways we can use solar energy. Not surprisingly, as someone who spends his time advocating for renewable energy, I’m a big fan of solar power in all forms and believe that it will play an ever larger role in our energy mix. Lili’s Law was a close runner-up. In addition to being inspiring, Lili is absolutely right that we need to stop wasting energy, and turning off lights is a simple and effective first step. Ultimately, we need to use more efficient lightbulbs (and other appliances), to turn them off when we’re not using them, and to power them with renewable energy such as solar when they are on."

Shell provided the winner—Katharine Parsons, of Queensville, Ontario, Canada—with an extreme makeover, green home style, including a full energy audit to identify the best ways to save energy (and money) in her home, as well as an energy-saving suite of gadgets and devices worth more than $2,000.