Marking Earth Hour
Image
The City’s virtual Vaughan Earth Hour event was held Saturday evening in recognition of the global movement
The City of Vaughan remains a leader in environmental stewardship – and hosting events like the annual Vaughan Earth Hour celebration is one of the many ways the City continues to advocate for the environment and help citizens foster sustainable behaviours in their own homes.
The City of Vaughan remains a leader in environmental stewardship – and hosting events like the annual Vaughan Earth Hour celebration is one of the many ways the City continues to advocate for the environment and help citizens foster sustainable behaviours in their own homes.
Earth Hour is a global movement in which people around the world turn off their lights and spend one hour without power to reduce energy consumption. This year’s event was marked worldwide on Saturday, March 27. In honour of this, the City powered down its facility lights for one hour beginning at 8:30 p.m. The community was also invited to spend their hour without power crafting, playing games and more. The City promoted the following energy-friendly activities to be done at home in the dark:
- Grabbing a flashlight and making the ultimate blanket and pillow fort.
- Finding inner zen and doing yoga by flameless candlelight.
- Cozying up with a good book and reading by a portable LED lamp.
- Gathering the family together and playing a board game with flashlights.
- Getting crafty by making a paper lantern (PDF) and using them outside on a lantern walk.
In addition to participating in fun lights-out activities, the City hosted its annual Vaughan Earth Hour event – virtually – yesterday beginning at 8 p.m. As part of the event, individuals were able to sign up to receive a free pollinator seed packet (while supplies lasted), write their at-home conservation tips to Vaughan’s Earth Hour message board and share photos and videos of them completing Earth Hour activities to social media using #VaughanEarthHour.
Thank you to the Vaughan community who joined the virtual celebration and powered down for Earth Hour. For more information on this year’s event, visit vaughan.ca/EarthHour. For citizens who could not attend last night’s celebrations, the event video has also been published to the City’s YouTube channel.
QUOTE
"As a truly green city, we are committed to placing citizens' health and well-being at the heart of our city-building efforts. We remain focused on creating sustainable neighbourhoods to enhance the exceptional quality of life we enjoy in Vaughan. This is why the City continues to show its unwavering support for Earth Hour — the world's largest grassroots movement to protect the environment. In Vaughan, we are constantly exploring innovative and meaningful ways to demonstrate our environmental leadership. Our city is home to more than 230 kilometres of signed cycling and pedestrian routes. Through the City's tree replacement program, we have planted more than 30,000 trees. Vaughan's city-wide LED Streetlight Retrofit Program is now complete. Council also declared a climate change emergency in principle to protect our community from the disastrous effects of climate change. The actions we take today will shape our city for generations to come. I want to express my warmest and sincerest appreciation to our citizens who participated in Earth Hour this year from home. By working together to raise awareness for climate change, promote environmental stewardship and foster a more sustainable community, we can continue to make a positive and lasting difference in Vaughan and beyond."
- Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua
QUICK FACTS
- First launched by World Wildlife Fund in 2007, Earth Hour is a global initiative aimed at fighting climate change, influencing climate policy and encouraging sustainability worldwide. The initiative has grown to become one of the world’s largest grassroots movements for the environment with more than 188 countries and territories participating.
- This annual Vaughan Earth Hour event demonstrates the City’s commitment to sustainability and the desire to stand in solidarity with others to raise awareness for climate change.
- In response to COVID-19, the City held its 2021 Vaughan Earth Hour event virtually. The community was able to participate in fun lights-out activities, share at-home conservation tips on a digital message board, sign up to receive a free pollinator seed packet and much more.
- A recap of Vaughan’s virtual Earth Hour event is posted to the City’s YouTube channel.
- Events like Vaughan’s Earth Hour celebration align with the City’s commitment to environmental stewardship – a priority outlined in the 2018-2022 Term of Council Service Excellent Strategic Plan. The goal is to protect the environment, foster a sustainable future and build a resilient, low-carbon city.
LEARN MORE
- City of Vaughan’s environmental sustainability webpage
- Vaughan Earth Hour event webpage
- Vaughan Earth Hour 2021 virtual event video
- City of Vaughan’s 2018-2022 Term of Council Service Excellent Strategic Plan webpage
- Earth Hour website
-30-