British Columbians from throughout the province will be turning off lights and powering down electronics during Earth Hour 2016.
Saturday, March 19, 2016, between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Earth Hour is a global event encouraging people to conserve energy, by turning off lights and electronics to show their support for climate change action.
The Jubilee Lights at the Parliament Buildings in Victoria will be turned off, and where possible, more than 170 provincial government offices will power off non-essential lights and electronics.
Mary Polak, Environment Minister, “An hour without electricity reminds us of our growing dependence on technology and the importance of being mindful of our impact on the planet. We can all make the choices necessary to use less.”
* The top five communities in B.C. for overall power savings in 2015 were; Whistler, Invermere, Clearwater, Houston and Logan Lake.
* British Columbia has saved 716 megawatt hours total by participating in Earth Hour since 2008.
* Earth Hour is scheduled 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time around the globe because it is the closest hour to sunset in both hemispheres, allowing for the biggest visual impact of lights out everywhere.
The global event started in Sydney, Australia in 2007 by the World Wildlife Fund to raise awareness about the effects of climate change. Today, Earth Hour has grown to engage over 7,000 cities worldwide.
