Earth Hour 2010

The Mayor and City Council are pleased to support the Earth Hour program to raise awareness of the small efforts that can add up to large results in the fight against Climate Change.

As a special feature The Bruce County Astronomical Society will be setting up their telescopes in Harrison Park to provide the public an opportunity to view the stars during Earth Hour.

Earth Hour originated in Australia and encourages residents and businesses to shut off lights and any non-essential electrical devices for one hour beginning 8:30 p.m. on Saturday March 27. Earth Hour is supported in Canada by the World Wildlife Fund and is being embraced around the world.

Climate Change is a serious environmental threat to our planet and of immediate concern to Canadians. By participating in Earth Hour you can show that you want to be a part of the solution, and that together we can make a difference.

As stated by the World Wildlife Fund, the objectives of Earth Hour are to:

• Get as many individuals, households, and businesses as possible to turn off their lights as a symbolic statement that now is the time to take action on Climate Change.

• Educate the community on the threat of Climate Change and what each individual and business can do to make a difference every day.

• Get corporate participants to commit to turning off their lights and communicate Earth Hour through internal and external communications channels.

The Bruce County Astronomical Society will be setting up their telescopes in Harrison Park for the event, assuming it is not an overcast evening. Elsewhere in Owen Sound, the City will be turning off non-essential lighting at City Facilities (where the lights are not already routinely turned off) and encourages City residents and businesses to do the same. Street lights and lighting essential for safety will not be included. The City has made arrangements with Hydro One to measure the drop in electricity usage during this period.

Information on Earth Hour is available at the World Wildlife Fund website at http://wwf.ca/earthhour.

For further information please contact:

Chris Hughes, Environmental Superintendent 519-376-4274

David Green, Bruce County Astronomical Society 519-376-1021