Darkness will sweep the planet on March 26 as millions of people switch off their lights for Earth Hour and Terrace is no exception.
“In my house, we take down all the lights and unplug any unnecessary electronic equipment and enjoy the hour by candlelight,” said mayor Dave Pernarowski about his family’s plans for the hour.
Earth Hour, a global green movement, sees people from all walks of life not only saving energy by going lights-off from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. that day, but contemplating daily lifestyle changes they can make that contribute to the overall health of our planet.
To reflect this, the event’s 2011 theme is Beyond The Hour.
“It really is the small changes we make every day,” said city sustainability coordinator Tara Irwin, “[that] can add up to big savings in energy costs and conservation.”
In Terrace, residents are being challenged to go beyond the hour and e-mail what they are doing to the city at earthhour2011@terrace.ca.
Pictures are welcome.
Three winners will be randomly chosen from the submissions and receive prizes.
Last year’s event included an outdoor celebration in Terrace, but Irwin said this year, winter weather hindered plans.
Earth Hour 2010 set a global record for participation.
The world’s largest global climate change initiative was joined by 128 countries and territories. Landmarks like the CN Tower in Toronto, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and Rome’s Coliseum joined in and powered-down for the hour.
The initiative started in Sydney, Australia in 2007 when 2.2 million people turned off their lights to take a stand against climate change.
Earth Hour is organized by the World Wildlife Foundation, an independent conservation group dedicated to the preservation of the earth and the species that inhabit it.