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City of Nanaimo to again participate in Earth Hour

Earth Hour happens on Saturday, March 29, 8:30-9:30 pm

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed March 24, 2014 11:07 AM

Summary

On Saturday, March 29th at 8:30 pm, the world will turn off its lights for just one hour – Earth Hour – to show it’s possible to take action on climate change. The City of Nanaimo is again participating in the annual Earth Hour event by turning off unnecessary lights, computer displays and equipment.

Last year, Earth Hour was a huge success with over 7,000 cities, hundreds of landmarks and millions of people participating! In Canada more than half the adult population participated – over 10 million - in over 270 Canadian cities.

This year, the City of Nanaimo is continuing its supporting this event and raising awareness about what all of us can do, no matter how small, in saving energy and lowering greenhouse gas emissions in our community. Our everyday actions, like turning off unnecessary lights, add up to make a big difference. Individual action is also important because it sends a strong signal to business and government that Canadians want leadership from them, too.

The City of Nanaimo will be participating in Earth Hour by challenging city staff to reduce energy consumption as much as possible during work hours. During Earth Hour, itself, lights will be dimmed at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre and at City Hall.

Link to Strategic Plan: Environmental Responsibility is one of the four pillars of Nanaimo's Corporate Strategic Plan which is one of the goals for participating in Earth Hour.

Key Points

  • During Earth Hour 2013, British Columbians save 136 megawatt hours of electricity. That is equivalent to turning off more than 10 million 12.5 watt LED light bulbs.
  • Earth Hour started in Syndey, Australia in 2007 as a campaign on climate change.
  • Earth Hour has grown every year with over 7,000 cities and hundreds of millions of people participating.

Quotes

John Ruttan

"In 2013, Nanaimo residents reduced their power consumption by 5.3 per cent during Earth Hour. It was easy to do simply by turning off unnecessary lights, appliances and maybe even the TV. We want to beat that number this year and be among the top BC communities recognized for their reduction in power usage during that one hour. Saving energy is a great result of this event, but more importantly, it is a good reminder of how easy it is and how we can do little things each day to reduce our reliance on electrical power."

John Ruttan
Mayor
City of Nanaimo

Quick Facts

  • The top five BC communities for Earth Hour 2013 were Comox, Courtenay, North Saanich, Sidney and Qualicum - all from Vancouver Island

Images

Earth Hour Logo 2013
Earth Hour Logo 2013
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Contact:

Rob Lawrance
Environmental Planner
City of Nanaimo
250.755-7582

Print News Release

Event Information

Start time:Sat, Mar 29, 8:30 PM
End time:Sat, Mar 29, 9:30 PM
Location:City of Nanaimo
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