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.
SickKids will join millions of people across the world by powering down for Earth Hour on Saturday, March 27, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Last year’s impressive participation of 4,000 cities in 88 countries made Earth Hour 2009 the world’s largest global climate change initiative.
To continue last year’s tradition, exterior lights will be shut off on Elizabeth Street, University Avenue, the driveway and old Emergency entrance. Interior lighting will go dim on the McMaster-Atrium bridge, Atrium corridors between units, windows in the Terrace Café, the Rotunda and Atrium Fountain.
Emergency lighting will remain on during the hour for safety and security purposes.
Wondering how you can participate? It’s easy! Just switch off your lights at home or go out and join the Toronto celebration at Yonge-Dundas Square, where lots of family activities and a free concert will be happening. To find out more, visit: www.earthhour.org.