Earth Hour, much like Earth Day only 1/24th as long, occurs in March and what kind of stuff would you do for Earth Hour, I can hear you ask? Simple, turn off lights and other electrical appliances and bask in the darker glow of green living.
On March 29, 2008 Toronto joined the world wide celebration in a big way. Singer Nelly Furtado (pictured above) headlined the celebration at Nathan Phillips Square and we all watched the lights in most of the downtown towers start to dim at 8pm. Toronto reduced demand by over 8% which reduced our carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions just a tiny bit for a small moment in time (in 2009 it went up to 15%!). It's a small first step which helps to raise awareness of the problem and what we can do when we put our minds to something.
I remember that the day was frigid and the crowds gathered to watch Nelly helped to ease the bitter cold. Still, I might have plugged in an electric heater, had one been available, to better watch the lights go down in the City. I guess I have to work on my superpowers, It's hard work trying to save the world.
This year you can join the Earth Hour movement on March 27, 2010 at 8:30 pm. You can also check out the City of Toronto's Earth Hour website for information on previous events and hopefully information on the 2010 Earth Hour.
