Town of Halton Hills Will Once Again Participate in Earth Hour

With unanimous Council support, the Town of Halton Hills will once again join other communities in Canada and around the world in participating in Earth Hour by turning off any unnecessary lights. The objective of Earth Hour is to have as many individuals, businesses, organizations and governments participating as possible. Earth Hour registration is available at: www.EarthHourCanada.org.

Earth Hour 2010 will be celebrated on Saturday, March 27, 2010 between 8:30pm and 9:30pm. Its objective is to increase public awareness of the need to decrease energy use and to take action against climate change. Earth Hour participation is voluntary, fun and informative.

In 2009, Earth Hour reached over one billion people as it was celebrated in over 4,000 cities in about 90 countries. Across Canada, in 2009, Halton Hills was one of nearly 300 participating Canadian communities.

As one of the participating communities, the Town was very successful in its Earth Hour participation as the community collaborated to make this event a success. In 2009, the community achieved a 13.5% energy consumption reduction, representing nearly 8,000kWh or enough electricity to power about 6,500 homes for an hour. The 13.5% reduction can also be translated into over 1,400 kilograms of greenhouse gas savings or the equivalent of not driving nearly 4,800 kilometers.

Speaking about Earth Hour, Mayor Bonnette said:

“Two years in a row, our community collaborated to make Earth Hour a success. This year, we hope to do the same by demonstrating that it is possible to take meaningful and practical local action against climate change. The participation of our residents, businesses and community organizations is key to achieving our goal.

Participation in Earth Hour will build on the Town’s Green Plan and continue to move all of us towards sustainability. It is urgent that we all participate.”

This year, in support of Earth Hour, the Town will:

• Be an official Earth Hour participant. In a show of support, the Town will turn off all non-essential lights at all Town facilities during Earth Hour, without jeopardizing public safety and security, and interrupting regular service.
• Celebrate Earth Hour on Friday March 26th, since Town Hall is closed during Earth Hour on Saturday March 27th. Similar efforts will be encouraged at local businesses and schools.
• Host a FREE family Movie Matinee at the Gellert Community Centre at 2 pm on Saturday March 27, 2010. The movie matinee will feature an environmentally-themed movie. Light refreshments will be provided. Space is limited, so please RSVP your family’s attendance by contacting Jennifer Spence at 905.873.2601 ext. 2290 or at jennifers@haltonhills.ca by Monday March 23, 2010.
• Collaborate with the business community to (i) assist businesses in promoting Earth Hour to their employees and customers; (ii) encourage restaurants to offer special Earth Hour menus; and (iii) encourage special pricing on energy conservation items such as clotheslines and programmable thermostats.
• Encourage Earth Hour registration by drawing for ‘Earth Hour Gift Baskets’. These gift baskets may include such things as a programmable thermostat, energy meter, LED lights, CFL bulbs and other items that can help with energy conservation. To participate, first please register for Earth Hour at www.EarthHourCanada.org. Next, e-mail the Office of Sustainability at jennifers@haltonhills.ca with a confirmation that you have registered and how you will be participating.
• Purchase green power from Bullfrog Power, a green electricity provider, to offset a portion of the Town’s energy use during Earth Hour.

Earth Hour is a symbolic event and it alone will not reverse climate change. Nonetheless, Earth Hour is a high profile opportunity to demonstrate that people working together can make a difference on climate change.

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