Saturday, March 29, the Resort Municipality of Whistler will join thousands of communities around the world by turning off its lights for Earth Hour.
Lights for public safety and essential services will remain on from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., but the RMOW will be turning off festive lighting in the village, day parking lot lights, lights at municipal buildings (village fire hall, municipal hall, the public safety building, Spruce Grove Field House, and the public works yard), as well as village heat tracing and the lights at the Lost Lake cross-country trails.
The municipality is also encouraging residents and business owners to take part in the event by turning off their household lights for one hour. You can sign up at www.earthhour.org.
Earth Hour is coordinated by the World Wildlife Fund to draw attention to climate change, which is impacting hundreds of vulnerable species including polar bears. Millions of people have committed to turning off their lights for Earth Hour, which started in Sydney, Australia in 2007. A March 26 poll by Virgin Mobile found that 70 per cent of Canadians plan to participate in Earth Hour this year.
The RMOW will attempt to measure how much power Whistler saved by working with B.C. Hydro.
