It's time to beat Whistler, says a District of Squamish spokesperson.
On Saturday, March 23, at 8:30 p.m. municipal staff, restaurant and business owners and everything in between will switch off the lights for Earth Hour. The annual global movement asks individuals to reduce electricity consumption for one hour in support of action on climate change.
"Whistler does well and Squamish doesn't do so well," Christina Moore said, regarding previous statistics in the municipal light-hearted rivalry.
This year officials aim to turn things around. The district is hosting a glow-in-the-dark skate at Brennan Park Recreation Centre.
Australia's World Wildlife Fund (WWF) initiated Earth Hour in 2007. In the grassroots event's inaugural year more than 2.2 million people and 2,000 businesses turned out their lights for an hour. The following year, Canadian towns joined the challenge.
This coming Saturday marks the sixth anniversary of Earth Hour in Canada. Last year, 39 per cent of Canadians turned off their lights in support of the initiative; 13 million people in 511 cities, stated organizers. In 2011, Squamish reduced its electricity consumption by 1.49 per cent, noted the district website.
For more information visit WWF's events at www.wwf.ca.
