The Town of Bracebridge is proud to once again participate in Earth Hour which will take place on Saturday March 28th at 8:30 p.m. (local time). Earth Hour is a worldwide grassroots movement by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to unite people to take action for the planet. Engaging a massive mainstream community on a broad range of environmental issues, Earth Hour was famously started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Since then it has grown to engage hundreds of millions of supporters, individuals and organizations alike, in more than 7,000 cities and towns in over 162 countries and territories worldwide. Earth Hour has done a lot to raise awareness about climate change issues.
But there’s more to it than switching off lights for one hour once a year. It’s all about giving people a voice and working together to create a better future for our planet. It has ushered in a new era with participants going beyond the hour to commit to lasting action for the planet. Without a doubt, it’s shown how great things can be achieved when people come together for a common cause. Earth Hour is not just about saving an hour’s electricity. It’s about uniting people to protect the planet. Every one of us can be a part of it. So after the lights go back on think about what else you can do to make a difference. Together our actions add up.
This year, the Town will participate in Earth Hour by:
Turning off non-essential lighting in locations such as:
Bracebridge Municipal Office
Bracebridge Sportsplex
Bracebridge Public Library
Bracebridge Arena
Silver Bridge
Memorial Park Bandshell
Memorial Park
Bracebridge Community Sign on Highway 11
Bird Mill Mews
Bird Mill Mews Parkette
Totem Pole Park
Apple Tree Park
Dominion Street Parkette
Centennial Park
Kerr Park
Kelvin Grove Park
Reducing heating and electrical heating systems in municipal buildings and other locations;
and shutting down computers, fax machines and photocopiers.
Throughout the past year, the Town of Bracebridge has continued to work towards a reduced impact on the planet. Road resurfacing and reconstruction projects improve traffic flow thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Town vehicles that are replaced as part of the Town’s fleet management program, offer improved fuel efficiency and lower levels of emissions. Electricity consumption is a direct contributor to global warming and small actions by every individual can make a big difference. If all households simply turned off unused lighting and appliances it would reduce millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas per annum.
“Council supports Earth Hour efforts to reduce energy consumption and encourages residents of Bracebridge to participate as well. The Town is committed not only to taking part on March 28, but to reducing our overall energy consumption”, said Mayor Graydon Smith.
Sign-up online and obtain more information at http://www.earthhour.org/
Turn off your lights for Earth Hour on March 28th at 8:30 p.m. for one hour.
Help us make the event a success by telling your family, friends and local businesses 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, 2015.
See your world in a whole new light! Switching off lights is just one simple action that individuals can take to help make a difference and to show that they care about our planet. But that’s just the beginning. Every hour, Canadians are taking small steps to lessen their impact on the environment. From hanging your clothes to dry to biking to work, those small steps add up to huge changes for the better.
“In 2015, the Town will be undertaking the conversion of the Town’s street lighting network to light- emitting diode (LED) technology – this initiative will result in a significant decrease in the Town’s power consumption for street lights”, noted Smith.