Earth Hour
Posted Mar 31, 2012 06:08:20 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The City of Cambridge and the Region of Waterloo are hoping that the community follows their lead in reducing their energy this weekend for Earth Hour.
Earth Hour is when everyone turns off their lights and other electronics for an hour to preserve energy and raise awareness about climate change.
World Wildlife Fund introduced Earth Hour in hopes of getting not only communities and corporations, but the entire planet to participate in the climate change awareness movement.
What started in Sydney, Australia in 2007, has now spread across the world, with Toronto being the first city to join Australia in 2008.
Cambridge’s Director Corporate Communications and Marketing Linda Fegan tells 570 News that this year Cambridge and the Region of Waterloo have teamed up to get the community to realize that Earth Hour is important and they want to engage the community in a bigger way.
The City of Cambridge is using social networking as a way to communicate with the community. On Facebook, they want people to share their stories and ideas to make a memorable and effective Earth Hour, and also reduce energy in homes all year.
For example some families share how they play boardgames, making the hour all about family bonding.
But the City of Cambridge isn’t all talk. Fegan shares that the Cambridge City Hall is the greenest city hall in Canada. It’s a title they’re very proud of, so Earth Hour isn’t taken lightly.
They will be dimming and shutting off any lights that aren’t needed for safety, and starting a new year-round practice.
“It will be sort of a Friday night routine that will be all year long, and so that it will be a commitment to sustainability and Earth Hour.” Fegan says.
The staff will make a difference by simply unplugging all appliances and electronics that won’t be running to prevent any phantom power use, which is when electronics use unneeded power even though they’re turned off. It’s a simple way of showing that even the easiest tasks make a difference all year round.
Earth Hour takes place tonight between 8:30 and 9:30. You can share your stories and ideas and read others at http://www.facebook.com/thecityofcambridge.
