Earth Hour

March 23, 2013 at 8:30 p.m.

Show your support for action against climate change by participating in Earth Hour . Earth Hour is a global campaign to showcase what can and is being done all over the world to combat climate change. Participating in Earth Hour is simple – turn off all non-essential lights in your home or business from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 23. By turning off your lights you are taking personal accountability for your environmental impact and making a behavioural change to reduce carbon emissions. Carbon dioxide emissions are one of the greenhouse gases linked with global warming and are a common bi-product of daily life.

Participating for the fourth time, the City of Spruce Grove will be turning off the lights in a number of its facilities. All essential lights required for public safety purposes will not be turned off. Essential services will be available as usual.

Earth Hour is a worldwide initiative showing how individuals, communities, businesses and governments can address global warming by working together. Earth Hour began in one city in 2007 when more than two million individuals and two thousand businesses in Sydney, Australia turned off their lights for one hour on Saturday 31, March 2007. World-wide participation has grown rapidly to make Earth Hour the single, largest, symbolic mass participating event in the world. Earth Hour now inspires millions of people in 7,001 cities and towns across 152 countries and territories to switch lights off for an hour as a show of concern for the environment.

Go beyond the hour to affect change. Incorporate simple energy saving strategies into your daily routine, such as:

• Turn off the lights when you leave the room and use natural lighting when possible
• Install a programmable thermostat to control your home’s air temperature
• Unplug appliances and turn off devices such as computers and gaming stations when not in use
• Use transit, car pool, walk or ride your bike as much as possible
• Lower your water use by taking shorter showers, not running the water while brushing your teeth, and investing in water efficient appliances. Consider participating in the City’s toilet or clothes washer rebate program
• Reduce, reuse, and recycle as many items as possible

For more information on Earth Hour and to get ideas on ways to pass your time during this event, visit the Earth Hour website