Toronto powers down for Earth Hour on March 29

On March 29, Toronto will join cities around the world in turning off its lights for Earth Hour. Earth Hour is a global lights-out phenomenon, coordinated by WWF, that will bring together people from all over the world to show their support for action on climate change. More than 15 major cities around the world are already participating including Sydney, Chicago and Copenhagen.

Toronto is the lead Canadian city commemorating Earth Hour 2008. WWF-Canada has partnered with the Toronto Star, the City of Toronto and Virgin Mobile to make Earth Hour 2008 a success. The goal is to get at least one million Torontonians to participate, and to make the city as dark as possible for one hour in a show of support for action on climate change. Torontonians can also look forward to celebrating Earth Hour at an event in the downtown core. More details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Last year, Earth Hour made its debut in Sydney and it was a huge success. More than 2 million individuals and businesses participated, resulting in a 10 per cent reduction on the electrical grid, saving 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Already, people and businesses are getting excited about this great opportunity and participation is growing by the day. All City of Toronto buildings, The Fairmont Royal York, The Home Depot and more have already committed to powering down for Earth Hour. Toronto Hydro will support Earth Hour by measuring Torontonians' success at reducing their collective electricity use during the event.

"Toronto is proud to support Earth Hour and demonstrate our commitment to protect our environment by taking real action on climate change," said Mayor David Miller. "I encourage all Torontonians to turn off their lights for Earth Hour and see the difference we can make in our city and around the world. It is in cities where real change is being made and events like this remind us that small actions by individuals can benefit everyone."

“Climate change is the most urgent environmental issue facing our planet today. In order to achieve the greenhouse gas reductions necessary to stop dangerous climate change, it will take a global effort from all levels – individuals, business and government,” said Mike Russill, President and CEO, WWF-Canada. “This is what makes Earth Hour such a great opportunity. A chance for everyone to celebrate their action together.”

"The Toronto Star is extremely excited to partner with WWF-Canada to support and promote Earth Hour. We believe in making the GTA a more environmentally-friendly place to live and we will be championing that goal in the pages of the Star and on www.thestar.com," says Jagoda Pike, publisher of the Star.

Virgin Mobile Canada will help spread the word about Earth Hour to its partners and customers, on its website and via text messages. “At Virgin Mobile, we’re taking Virgin’s global vision to do what we can to protect the environment and are continually focused on sustainability and making positive changes in Canada. We’re delighted to be part of this international event that will encourage Torontonians to take immediate action to turn off their lights which will hopefully lead to long-lasting changes in the way we conserve energy,” said Andrew Black, President and CEO of Virgin Mobile Canada.

On March 29th, all Torontonians and all Canadians are being encouraged to participate in Earth Hour to prove that Canada is serious about taking action on climate change by being the darkest city in the world. Participation is easy: commit to turning off your lights at 8 p.m. on March 29 and help spread the word. Find out how to sign up, and other information at wwf.ca/EarthHour.