To make Earth Hour much bigger than last year we need your help to get as many residents and local businesses signed up as possible. We also want to help make Earth Hour part of our everyday lives and to let you know you aren’t alone in taking action to protect the climate.
Each week leading up to Earth Hour we’ll post the following features to help make this not only the biggest climate change initiative Vancouver has ever seen, but also a lasting one.
Come back, visit often and bring your friends.
Your own Earth Hour campaign – this week’s target is your favourite restaurant!
This week, don’t stop at signing yourself up, but make sure you talk your favourite restaurant into signing up as well. Lots of Vancouver eateries are partaking in the event – is your favourite spot part of it?
Action of the week – Eat locally grown food
Eating locally grown food is a bit more difficult in the winter but there are lots of culinary delights to be found. It can be as simple as buying apples from BC or Washington State rather than New Zealand. Next time you’re at your favourite restaurant, check out their menu and find out if they support local options. Other ways Vancouver restaurants are doing their part for the planet include using organically grown ingredients, serving sustainable seafood through the Ocean Wise program [vanaqua.org/oceanwise], or belonging to the Green Table network [
Find out more small actions that help protect the climate by visiting the City of Vancouver’s One Day program at:
onedayvancouver.caWhat your City government is doing to support your efforts to protect the climate
Vancouver just got one more community garden. And this one will be right at City Hall. It is part of the City’s efforts to develop 2,010 community garden plots by 2010. A portion of the garden space will be for communal plots where vegetables will be grown for donation to food providers in Vancouver’s inner-city neighbourhoods. The idea to create a community garden at City Hall is the first ‘Quick Start’ recommendation to come from the City’s Greenest City Action Team.
The Four Seasons Hotel and La Terrazza
The beautiful thing about Earth Hour is that it is a great excuse to get creative and have fun! Vancouver restaurants are doing just that: On March 28th 2009 La Terrazza [
laterrazza.ca/upcoming.php] will operate by candlelight from open until close with a special candlelight dinner menu.The local Four Seasons Hotel restaurants, YEW restaurant and bar and Fifty Two 80 Bistro [
fourseasons.com/vancouver], will be part of a 24-hour global candlelight dinner event, with 36 sister Four Seasons properties creating a chain of candlelight dinners circumnavigating the globe. The Earth Hour sequence will start at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney Australia and make its way west across the planet.Where are you spending Earth Hour?
Come down and join the local celebration at the Juno Fest. Earth Hour will be taking the outdoor stage at 900 block of Granville Street starting at 8:15 pm for a count down to lights out event. Join Mayor Robertson as we flick the switch and kick off Earth Hour in Vancouver.
We’d love to hear your Earth Hour plans and how you’ll encourage others to take part. Email us your story, send us photos or You Tube videos to:
onedayinfo@vancouver.ca and we’ll feature you on this site.