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March 18, 2009

BC Hydro encourages collective conservation through Earth Hour

VANCOUVER – BC Hydro is urging British Columbians to turn off unnecessary lights and electronics to mark Earth Hour 2009 on Saturday, March 28 from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Organized by WWF and sponsored locally in part by BC Hydro, Earth Hour is a global public effort to address climate change. Last year, 35 countries participated, and in Canada, almost 10 million individuals took part. Earth Hour emphasizes the importance of understanding that individual participation and simple changes can make a big difference to the planet.

"Earth Hour represents a powerful concept – millions of people from around the world, working together and united for one cause," said Premier Gordon Campbell. "The B.C. Government will be turning off non-essential lights for Earth Hour and I encourage all British Columbians to take part too by conserving power, saving money and helping meet B.C.'s climate action goals."

Earth Hour 2009 will build on last year's event, which saw an overall reduction in the provincial electricity load of about two per cent throughout the entire hour.

"We have big conservation goals for B.C. and every British Columbian has a role to play in helping us meet them." said BC Hydro President and CEO Bob Elton. "During Earth Hour last year, British Columbians saved 125 megawatts of electricity, the equivalent to turning off 2.5 million lights. This shows that simple, individual actions do make a difference."

The B.C. Government will participate in Earth Hour by turning off all non-essential lights in government buildings – including the B.C. Legislature – and by encouraging public service employees to limit their energy consumption at home as government works toward the goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2010.

In addition, more than 55 local governments throughout the province have signed up to support Earth Hour and key landmarks in different cities will also "go dark."

If everyone who participated in Earth Hour last year did the same thing for an hour everyday, the combined savings would be enough to power 4,000 homes for an entire year.

"Earth Hour is just one night, but you can make a commitment to conserve everyday," added Steve Nash, conservation ambassador for BC Hydro. "Simply join Team Power Smart any time to set a 10% reduction target for your family and to get access to tools and resources to help you."

Sign up for Earth Hour 2009 at http://wwf.ca/earthhour/.

Join Team Power Smart and commit to a 10% reduction target.