Thank you Canada
for becoming part of the solution by sending a strong message to world leaders
about the need for action on climate change!
A poll commissioned by WWF-Canada
shows that more than half of all adult Canadians (52%) participated in WWFs Earth
Hour on March 28, creating an unprecedented call to action on climate change in
advance of the UN negotiations in Copenhagen in December. The main reasons people
turned off their lights were to show support for action on climate change and
express a commitment to take personal action for the environment.
Globally,
almost 4,000 cities in 88 countries participated in Earth Hour, far exceeding
WWFs global goal of 1,000 cities. Canada was again among the leading countries
in the campaign in terms both cities
participating (more than 280 nationally) and for participation per capita.
The
poll results also show that Canadian concern for climate change extends far beyond
participating in Earth Hour. Eighty per cent of Canadians believe that Earth Hour
is sending a message to the federal government that now is the time to start taking
climate change seriously and develop a plan to reduce emissions.
People were inspired across the country and around
the globe as monuments such as the CN Tower, the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids of
Giza in Egypt, the Acropolis and the Empire State Building went dark. This year
we welcomed new participation from people in countries such as India and China,
and welcomed back the countries that celebrated Earth Hour in 2008.
Thanks
to everyone for making our climate change message heard around the world. However
you celebrated, we hope it was a truly memorable experience and we hope that you
continue to take actions every day to reduce your ecological footprint. Remember
to make every hour Earth Hour by joining WWF-Canadas web-based community, the
Living Planet Community! The next few months will be critical as we wait to
see how global leaders react to this united call for action on climate change.
How low did
we go?
The goal of Earth Hour is really about participation but
it is also fun to track the energy reductions across the nation.
The results
are just starting to trickle in and we'll update you here as we get them.
City/Town,
Energy Drop (Energy Drop Percentage)
Alberta Calgary, 10 MW (1%) Edmonton, (5,2%)
British
Columbia, 72.67 MW (1.1%) Victoria, (3.1%) Vancouver, (1.3%)
If your city or provinces results aren't here please ask your
local city leaders or hydro company as WWF-Canada won't be following up directly
with any energy providers.
Turning the lights out across the country is a huge task that would not have been possible without the help of our Earth Hour sponsors! A big thank you to all of our national and local sponsors, Coca Cola, Sears Canada and CBC/Radio-Canada for helping to bring Earth Hour to life.
Thank you also to our local sponsors: BC Hydro, Building Owners and Managers Association of Greater Toronto, City of Edmonton, City of Montreal, City of Toronto, City of Vancouver, Halifax Chronicle Herald, Halifax Regional Municipality, Toronto Hydro, Toronto Star and Vancouver Sun.