People around the world will shut out the lights at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday to celebrate Earth Hour.
Earth Hour is an annual global event hosted by the World Wildlife Fund and supported by BC Hydro. The goal of Earth Hour is to encourage individuals to turn off unnecessary lights and electronics in an effort to conserve power and in doing so, demonstrate support for climate change reduction efforts.
Last year, British Columbians saved 136 megawatt hours of electricity and reduced the provincial electricity load by 1.95 per cent during Earth Hour – the equivalent of turning off more than 10 million 12.5-watt LED light bulbs.
BC Hydro reported that in 2012, Abbotsford saw an increase in energy use of 0.93 per cent, while B.C.'s overall electricity load dropped by 1.67 per cent.
The first Earth Hour was held in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, with about 2.2 million people participating. By 2008, the hour was recognized in more that 35 countries.
This year, 158 countries and territories are expected to participate, breaking records and becoming the largest voluntary action for the environment.