Ottawa celebrates Earth Hour with students and stars

WWF

By Ximena Salcedo
This year’s Earth Hour was a particularly busy one for the WWF team in Ottawa.  We started celebrating Earth Hour at St. Rita’s elementary school on Friday.  They turned the lights off at their lunch time, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. to help everyone get into the spirit of Earth Hour.  With about 300 students, ages 4 to 12, it was an enthusiastic kick-off for the celebrations.

© K. Blanco – School poster

 

© K. Blanco – School poster

The Panda and WWF-Ottawa team spoke with the school’s Eco-squad to talk about their green initiatives, what Earth Hour is all about and how they are helping with local environmental conservation efforts.

Panda giving “thumbs up” for good answers! © Laureen Farnam, WWF-Canada

Panda & Eco-Squad team © Laureen Farnam, WWF-Canada

We then visited each classroom to talk about Earth Hour and the importance of addressing climate change and protecting our planet. We asked the students lots of questions and got some very interesting answers.  Some of them talked about the activities that they have planned for Earth Hour, like lighting some candles with their parents and playing board games.  In the younger classes, several students pointed out that they’d be fast asleep when Earth Hour actually took place.  It was a terrific visit that reminded us all how engaged kids are in these issues, and how much Earth Hour speaks to them.  Special thanks and congratulations the Principal of St. Rita’s school, Mr. Slack, and Laureen Farnam, a parent, for participation in Earth Hour and all their green initiatives.
For Earth Hour itself, we went to the Museum of Science and Technology to gaze at the stars with some professional and amateur astronomers.

Celebrating Earth Hour at the Museum of Science and Technology, © X. Salcedo, WWF-Canada

It was a beautiful clear night.  There were telescopes pointing at Venus, as well as Jupiter, the moon and Mars.
At the museum, Martin von Mirbach, Director of WWF’s Canadian Arctic Program answered questions, while the WWF Panda and Ottawa Hydro’s mascot ,the Owl, helped rally the troops.  It was wonderful to see so much  support for Earth Hour – we hope to see everyone again next year!

An educational experience with Martin von Mirbach, © A. Dumbrille, WWF-Canada