Earth Hour is this Saturday from 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM.
And new research from Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator says that 73 percent of homes in Ontario plan to take part this year.
That’s up from 51 percent last year.
Collus President and CEO Ed Houghton says it’s a very important concept.
He says Earth Hour instills in our children that we need to reduce our dependency on electricity and other energy forms.
Houghton says Collingwood wants to be part of Earth Hour so they can help contribute to the reduction of global warming and green house gases as well, because if we don’t, the world that we’re living in today won’t the same in 10 to 15 years.
He says Earth Hour isn’t just turning the lights off for an hour, it’s actually teaching people how they can make do without having to use electricity.
Houghton says they even saw a significant drop the evening before Earth Hour last year, as people leaving their office on Friday turned things off they they would usually leave on.
He says if you can turn things off for one weekend, or one hour, why can’t it be done all the time.
Collingwood saw a 9 per cent reduction compared to a similar Saturday during Earth Hour last year.
Houghton hopes that in the future Earth Hour won’t be necessary, because hopefully people will have learned that we have to appreciate and respect all of the energy that we use, and reduce the usage to the bare minimum.
Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie is also taking part in Earth Hour.
The hospital will be turning off, or dimming as many non-essential lights and electrical devices as they can.
The first year of Earth Hour was in Australia, and involved 2.5 million people.
Houghton says hundreds of millions of people were involved last year, so it’s catching on.