Press Release
The Ontario government will join the world in celebrating “Earth Hour” by turning off its lights.
“Earth Hour” this year will occur on Saturday (March 27) from 8:30-9:30 p.m.
The event was launched by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Sydney, Australia back in 2007. Since then, “Earth Hour” has grown into an international campaign with millions of people participating.
The lights will be turned off in 63 Ontario government buildings this year.
In addition, the government is taking steps to reduce its energy use in these buildings year-round.
Ontario also has been leading the fight against climate change by introducing some of the most aggressive measures in North America.
The Green Energy Act, established last year, has boosted new efforts to increase the province’s renewable energy supply.
The government also intends to introduce the Water Opportunities Act., which would lay the foundation for the development and sale of new technologies and services for water conservation and treatment.
“‘Earth Hour’ reminds us of what we need to do every day—be better stewards of our natural resources,” Environment minister John Gerretsen.
“We can all make small changes at home and at work to conserve energy that add up to huge changes for the better,” he noted.
“People from across the world, from all walks of life, can show their responsibility towards our planet and future by supporting this global call, which is as simple as a flick of a switch!” echoed Government Services minister Harinder S. Takhar.
“‘Earth Hour’ presents a great opportunity for all of us to take leadership when it comes to managing our energy use,” said Energy and Infrastructure minister Brad Duguid.
“It shows that we can all make a few small changes towards promoting energy conservation in our daily lives.”
Running a faucet for five minutes, for instance, uses as much energy as burning a 60-watt light bulb for 14 hours.
Ontario is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its operations by 19 percent below 2006 levels by 2014, and 27 percent by 2020.
This is the third year the Ontario government has participated in “Earth Hour.”
In 2009, Ontario government-owned buildings and facilities participating in “Earth Hour” reduced their electrical consumption for that hour by 9.9 percent.
