LUCIDMEDIA

Earth Hour 2009

Written by Nadine Bachan Friday, 27 March 2009 10:46

At 8:30 p.m., local time, on Saturday March 28th, our global village will come together – cities across the world will turn their lights out. Not all of the lights, for obvious reasons, but just enough to make a statement on behalf of the awareness of conservation, climate change, and the power of unified action.

Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia in 2007 when over two million homes and business plunged themselves into darkness for one hour. The following year, fifty million people joined in, including those of us in Toronto. At present, over two thousand cities and towns have reportedly committed to taking some action for Earth Hour, with a goal of one billion participants this time around.

Among many stores, restaurants, and businesses in the city, some of Toronto’s landmarks will be dimmed or darkened completely, including the CN Tower, the Rogers Centre, Air Canada Centre, the AGO, Eaton Centre, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, and Roy Thompson Hall. While the city may be dark, there will still be much to do and see in celebration of the special event. For safety reasons, the street lights will remain on and the TTC will run normally. Nathan Philips Square will host a live show, the Earth Hour Concert, to celebrate the very special sixty minutes. The hour will include performances by Suzie McNeil, Crash Parallel, The Matt York Band, Karl Wolf, and Samba Squad.

Take advantage of this rare occasion and partake in a little astronomy, both The Ontario Science Centre and the University of Toronto will be offering special observation sessions for the public to view the night’s sky in all its sans-light-pollution glory. If dinner and drinks are still at the top of the list for your Saturday evening out, don’t worry: Several hotels, bars, and restaurants will be serving up candlelit refreshments and entertainment as their way of being involved. If all you wish to do is mediate, there are several yoga classes at locations around the GTA where you can stretch and open your chakra by candlelight. These are only a few of the special events that will be occurring around the darkened city. If you decide to stay in and participate by turning out your lights and quieting the buzz of electricity at home, it will be a good night to stargaze on your own, or just sit and enjoy the company of few good friends.

City officials and those involved in WWF Canada are hoping that one million Torontonians will take part this year. What’s more, if you sign up for Earth Hour at the WWF Canada website, you will be entered in a draw to win a trip to Churchill, Manitoba to see its magnificent polar bears.

Check out www.toronto.com and/or http://wwf.ca/earthhour/ for all the details on what’s going on, updates, and learn about the many ways you can contribute and get involved. By simply switching off, you will become a part of the world’s first global election — you will VOTE EARTH and take a stance in control of the future of our collective home. So, whatever you decide to do between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, I hope it will be done in consideration of a worthy cause.