People around the globe are encouraged to flick the switch for Earth Hour
By Nelson Daily Staff
Get ready to turn out the lights . . . turn out the lights.
Earth Hour is upon us — Saturday between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m.
People throughout the world, including Canadians, British Columbians and West Kootenay/Boundary folk are encouraged to join in the powering down Saturday, March 19 during Earth Hour 2016.
“An hour without electricity reminds us of our growing dependence on technology and the importance of being mindful of our impact on the planet. We can all make the choices necessary to use less,” said Mary Polak, Environment Minister.
Earth Hour is a global event encouraging people to conserve energy by turning off lights and electronics to show their support for climate change action.
Last year’s Earth Hour resulted in 15 megawatt hours of electricity saved, reducing the overall provincial electricity load by 0.2% – the equivalent of turning off almost 680,000 LED light bulbs.
Whistler and Invermere had the highest reductions in energy in B.C. during the lights off event, at 7.2% and 6.7% respectively.
The B.C. government will be demonstrating its on-going support for climate action by joining the worldwide grassroots movement.
Most noticeably, the Jubilee Lights at the Parliament Buildings in Victoria will be turned off to celebrate the tenth annual Earth Hour. Where possible, more than 170 provincial government offices will power off non-essential lights and electronics.
Locally, power suppliers Nelson Hydro and FortisBC also encourage residents throughout the Southern Interior to take a moment to shut down all lights and electronic in support of the campaign.
“Earth Hour is a great initiative and the support we’ve given to it over the years has had great success in raising awareness of the energy that’s consumed every hour of every day,” said Nicole Bogdanovic, Corporate Communications Advisor for FortisBC.
“Our customers are increasing looking for ways to manage energy in their homes and businesses and that’s why our focus is now in making sure they have access to tools and resources they need to help,” Bogdanovic adds, noting resources for saving energy can be obtained at fortisbc.com/savingenergy.
The global event started in Sydney, Australia in 2007 by the World Wildlife Fund to raise awareness about the effects of climate change.
Today, Earth Hour has grown to engage over 7,000 cities worldwide and continues to be recognized as a leader in uniting people all over the globe to combat climate change.
Quick Facts:
According to BC Hydro:
- British Columbia has saved 716 megawatt hours total by participating in Earth Hour since 2008.
- The top five communities in B.C. for overall power savings in 2015 were Whistler, Invermere, Clearwater, Houston and Logan Lake.
According to the World Wildlife Fund:
- Earth Hour is scheduled 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time around the globe because it is the closest hour to sunset in both hemispheres, allowing for the biggest visual impact of lights out everywhere.
- Earth Hour 2015 took place in more than 7,000 cities, in over 24 time zones.
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International landmarks that participated in lights out in 2015:
- The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France
- St.Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City, Italy
- The Colosseum in Rome, Italy
- The Houses of Parliament in London, U.K.
- The Opera House in Sydney, Australia
- Niagara Falls, Canada/U.S.A
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