Press Release
For the second year, the Ontario government is joining “Earth Hour” by turning out the lights between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. (EDT) on Saturday, March 28 in most government buildings.
“Earth Hour” is a global event to promote energy conservation and send a global message about working together to tackle climate change.
The World Wildlife Fund launched the first event in 2007 in Sydney, Australia.
Since then, it has grown into an international campaign with millions of people participating.
Ontario’s actions to fight climate change have put it at the forefront with some of the most aggressive measures in North America. Recently, for instance, the government introduced the landmark Green Energy Act.
If approved, this proposed legislation would lay the foundation for new measures to conserve energy, promote renewable energy projects, and create “green” jobs.
“I encourage all Ontarians to turn out the lights for ‘Earth Hour’ but let’s not stop there,” said Environment minister John Gerretsen.
“We can all make small changes at home and at work to conserve energy and show the world that Ontarians are leading the fight against climate change.”
“Simple acts can produce grand results,” echoed Government Services minister Ted McMeekin.
“And in this case, we can take from the flick of a switch how important it is to conserve energy and protect the environment.”
Ontario has set a target of reducing electricity use in government-owned buildings by 20 percent in 2012, having already reduced use by 12 percent since 2004.
As well, 98 percent of light bulbs in government-owned buildings have been replaced with more efficient ones.
