This Saturday, lights at The Hospital for Sick Children and SickKids Foundation will be turned off or dimmed to show support for the fifth annual Earth Hour. Emergency lighting will still be used for the safety and security of patients, visitors and staff.

During the hour, which lasts from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., buildings and homes in thousands of cities worldwide will “unplug” to raise awareness of climate change and the need to conserve energy. Since its inception in 2007, the Earth Hour movement has spanned 128 countries and inspired millions of supporters.

During last year’s Earth Hour, SickKids saved 64 kilowatt hours of energy in the Atrium and 146 kilowatt hours in the Annex. The Hospital expects to see similar energy savings this year.

While Earth Hour traditionally lasts 60 minutes, the focus of this year’s campaign is going “beyond the hour” and implementing green practices into everyday life.

At SickKids Foundation, we believe that working together to create a healthy environment will benefit children everywhere for generations to come. This belief has motivated SickKids and the Foundation to design and build our new Research & Learning Tower to achieve LEED Gold standards for environmental sustainability. Once the tower is built, SickKids staff will go beyond LEED by implementing green practices inside the building.

There are less than two weeks left in the SickKids Lottery with the final draw deadline of March 18 fast approaching.

Order your tickets now to take advantage of our best ticket pricing*. Purchase one ticket for $100, two for $150, three for $195, five for $295 or 10 for $500. Purchase your ticket before midnight March 11, and you’ll be entered into the Early Bird draw for your chance at winning a 2011 Lexus RX350, a Kenya Family Discovery for four, plus $6,000 cash!†† You will also have a chance at winning the grand prize of $1-million cash*.

What are you waiting for? Order your tickets now!

††* See Rules and Regulations for details. LL#3537