On Saturday, March 27th at 8:30 p.m. local time, the Township of Esquimalt will join Earth Hour celebrations across British Columbia and around the world by switching off lights for one hour to show it is possible to take action on climate change.
Last year, Earth Hour was a huge success reaching over one billion people in more than 80 countries. Canada had over 10 million participants, including 84 communities in British Columbia. During the hour-long event, Esquimalt’s electricity consumption decreased by 2.7%.
“The Township of Esquimalt is proud to participate in Earth Hour for the second year in a row,” said Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins. “I encourage Township community members to participate by turning out their lights from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. this Saturday.”
This year, the Township’s participation in Earth Hour will take place over the entire weekend and will include:
- Powering off all staff computers, monitors, battery backups and printers;
- Switching off all lights in the Municipal Hall – except emergency and library lighting;
- Shutting off the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system in Municipal Hall;
- Turning off the exterior projector for the Municipal Hall’s outside mural; and,
- Switching off the interior and exterior lights at the Public Works Yard and Parks Nursery.
Esquimalt residents and businesses can also take part by signing up for Earth Hour at www.EarthHourCanada.org. The website provides great ideas for no-light events — including candle light dinners, board games and stargazing — and other ways of making a difference year-round.
Earth Hour is an international event organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) that brings attention to the issue of global warming by asking individuals, businesses and governments to turn off their lights for an hour. It began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia and in 2008 became a global sustainability movement.
For more information, please contact:
Marlene Lagoa, Sustainability Coordinator
Tel: 250-414-7114