Power down for Earth Hour

Photo: Thinkstock.com

Join British Columbia in celebrating the ninth year of Earth Hour Saturday night by turning off lights and electronics for one hour.

Earth hour is from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Participating British Columbians can celebrate the hour by having a candlelight dinner, talking to neighbours, stargazing, camping, playing board games - the possibilities are endless.

During last year's Earth Hour, the province saved 65 megawatt hours of electricity and reduced the provincial electricity load by one per cent - the equivalent of turning off about 1.4 million lights.

"I urge all British Columbians to join me in celebrating Earth Hour," said Environment Minister Mary Polak. "By turning off lights and electronics to reduce the amount of wasted energy, we can set a positive example for current and future generations." 

The cities with the highest reduction in energy use were Whistler and Esquimalt with  six per cent. Last year, 69 B.C. communities, countless businesses and thousands of citizens took part in this 60-minute event.

Earth Hour has grown to become the world's biggest mass participation event in history according to the World Wildlife Fund.

"The success of this global movement is proof that when people come together with a common goal, results can be seen worldwide," Polak said.

This year, British Columbians will join their counterparts in six continents, 120 countries and 24 time zones in turning off their lights and powering down.

The City of Vancouver has been named the 2015 National Earth Hour Capital by the World Wildlife Fund.

The city is recognized for being a leader in sustainability and innovation within energy efficiency. Vancouver was also awarded this distinction in 2013.

As in previous years, the B.C. government will turn off lights in all provincial government buildings wherever it is safe and reasonable to do so.

Most noticeably, the Jubilee lighting at the parliament buildings in Victoria will be extinguished as a highly visible demonstration of support for Earth Hour.

The World Wildlife Fund originated Earth Hour in Sydney, Australia in 2007. It is a worldwide grassroots movement uniting people to raise awareness around a broad range of environmental issues.

Earth Hour began as a lights-off event and has grown over the past nine years to include more than 7,000 cities and towns worldwide.