British Columbians throughout the province are encouraged to flick the switch for Earth Hour tonight.
Earth Hour which is a global event, encourages people to conserve energy by turning off lights and electronics to show their support for climate change action.
It runs between 8:30pm and 9:30 pm.
“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,” says B.C Minister of Environment, Mary Polak.
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 event started in Sydney, Australia in 2007 by the World Wildlife Fund and has grown to engage over 7,000 cities worldwide.
International landmarks that participated in Earth Hour last year according to the World Wildlife Fund are:
o The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France
o St.Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City, Italy o The Colosseum in
Rome, Italy o The Houses of Parliament in London, U.K.
o The Opera House in Sydney, Australia
o Niagara Falls, Canada/U.S.A
(Files from B.C Ministry of Environment)
Something going on in the Cariboo you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
