Canadians join millions marking Earth Hour

Canadians joined millions of others around the globe to mark Earth Hour Saturday evening.

The World Wildlife Fund, the driving force behind Earth Hour, says 13 million Canadians turned off their lights for an hour last year in the symbolic event aimed at drawing awareness to climate change.

It’s unclear how many Canadians joined the seventh edition of Earth Hour however Toronto Hydro says the city surpassed last year’s electricity drop.

In 2012, Toronto’s power use dropped 193 MW (87,000 homes). By the time the hour was complete this year the city had reduced its power use by 205 MW, or about 92,000 homes.

The Independent Electricity System Operator, which coordinates Ontario’s electricity needs, said there was a 2.7 per cent drop in demand in Ontario during Earth Hour or 448 megawatts. The drop is more than the average peak energy needs of a city the size of Burlington, the agency said.

Several landmarks around the GTA went dark during Earth Hour including the CN Tower, Yonge-Dundas Square and City Hall.

Nova Scotia Power reported a drop of five megawatts from 14.11 to 14.06 megawatts during the hour that people were asked to turn off their lights.

Earth Hour is embraced by hundreds of Canadian municipalities and many utilities had Earth Hour sections posted on their websites.

B.C. Hydro, for example, has a way for many of its customers to compare their electricity use during Earth Hour with their normal power usage.

Steven Price, a conservation director with the World Wildlife Fund, says municipalities are a driving force behind Earth Hour.

“Now if we could get the provinces, territories and federal government more interested, we’ll be getting somewhere. And Earth Hour is meant to send a message, even if it’s quote a dark one, to them.”

His hope may not be so far away.

B.C. Environment Minister Terry Lake posted a message on B.C. Hydro’s website urging all residents in the province to power down tonight to show their concern for the global environment.

New Brunswick Environment Minister Bruce Fitch posted a similar message on the website of NB Power.

“This is an important initiative that highlights ways that we can impact our energy consumption and lessen our environmental footprint,” Fitch said in a statement.

The city of Vancouver is carrying a global earth hour banner today. The WWF picked Vancouver as its Global Earth Hour Capital over 66 other cities around the world. It’s a recognition of the city’s efforts to reduce pollution that causes climate change. The city also received the highest number of online votes in a People’s Choice ballot.

The challenges of dealing with climate change can be enormous and can seem overwhelming, but we shouldn’t underestimate the difference Canadians can make, Price said.

“One way to start doing that is have a moment when you turn the lights out and say ‘I’m starting right now and I’m sending a message to my family but also to my government representatives and I’m going to re-examine how I use fossil fuels — coal, oil and gas — in my household.'”

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the UN headquarters in New York City will join more than 7,000 cities and towns in more than 150 countries and territories for Earth Hour.

“We participate with an undimmed determination to take action on climate change,” he said.

The WWF hosted Toronto’s main Earth Hour event in Roncesvalles Village with a lantern walk, live music and free hot chocolate. Click here for more information.

CityNews viewers shared pictures of how they spent their Earth Hour:

[View the story “How Torontonians celebrated Earth Hour” on Storify]

Below is a Twitter feed following the hashtag #EarthHour: