Earth Hour in Canada

On March 27th, 2010 at 8:30 p.m. millions of people areound the world, are planning on turning off their lights in celebration of Earth Hour.

This event was introduced back in 2007 in Sydney, Australia as a way to bring awareness to the world about climate change. The Eiffel Tower in Paris and New York's Empire State Building are just a couple examples of landmarks that will be turning out the lights in support of this monumental environmental event.

And so will millions of homes all around the world. Every year the event gets bigger and the world gets darker for one hour. So far 88 countries are on board, which is more participants than last year.

Canada in particular is taking small steps to lessen the impact on the environment. From coast to coast, several Canadians are joining in on the fight against climate change.

In Vancouver people are already talking about what they'll be doing. “I think I'll turn off all my electricity, ” says one resident. “I'll turn my lights out and go to bed, says another.”

You can even turn the night into something fun and host a candlelight dinner or theme party.

In Ontario, officials are looking closer at the numbers.

The Independent Electricity System Operator says they saw a six percent reduction in power during Earth Hour last year. They plan to keep an eye on the power use again this year to see if even more residents can help reduce the demand.

The city of Moncton will be in the dark too.

Paul Thomson is with the city and he says they're trying to lead by example. “The City of Moncton turns off all non essential lighting in all of our facilities.”

Experts say even the small things count.

“After earth hour let’s think about what we can do every hour, ” says Tara Wood, spokesperson for the World Wildlife Fund. “Be it leave your car at home, wash in cold water, hanging your clothes to dry, to bigger things like buying energy efficient appliances. We can all make a big difference.”

The Weather Network WILL be broadcasting next Saturday during Earth Hour.

Click on the Related Links above to find out more about Earth Hour and what different cities around the country are doing to participate.