Going dark a bright idea
By Erin Cardone - Saanich News - April 04, 2008
Saanich Councillor Vicki Sanders says Earth Hour 2008
was a success and hopes the event will be bigger and
better next year. Dunc Malcom/New staff
Saanich reduced its energy usage by three per cent during Earth Hour last week and Coun. Vicki Sanders is quite pleased.
“We did really well,” said Sanders, who promoted Earth Hour in the community as chair of Saanich’s Environment Committee. “It was incredible in that it was a real sleeper from the beginning.”
The three per cent reduction is slightly above the provincial average of two per cent, although some B.C. communities stood out in terms of their participation.
Data collected by B.C. Hydro between 8 and 9 p.m. March 29 showed North Vancouver and Port Coquitlam shut off the most lights for the symbolic hour last week, at seven per cent and 6.7 per cent respectively.
Out of the 19 B.C. communities where B.C. Hydro was able to collect data, Prince George showed the least interest in turning off its lights and heating, posting a 0.2 per cent reduction.
In the province, British Columbians switched off the equivalent of 2.5-million lights, saving 125 megawatts of electricity.
The Friday before Earth Hour (March 28), Sanders organized a prize draw at Municipal Hall to try get residents engaged. She wouldn’t say how many showed up (“We didn’t get lots of people”), but she did say that on March 29, her e-mail inbox was full of letters from people excited to participate.
“I’m already thinking about (next year),” Sanders said Tuesday.
“I’m thinking about getting the word out a lot sooner because it was a very short timeframe.”
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