Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia in 2007 as a symbolic movement to turn lights off for one hour to raise awareness about climate change. Support quickly grew to 35 countries in 2008 and 192 countries in 2022. Over the years, the Earth Hour message was expanded to include awareness about the loss of biodiversity and nature.
Today, Earth Hour is no longer about just turning lights off for one hour. Rather, the campaign now promotes going beyond the hour with 10 actions to help shape a brighter future for people and the planet including:
- Eat more sustainably
- Waste less food
- Travel responsibly
- Eliminate plastics
- Save water
- Be energy efficient
- Protect natural spaces
- Be a conscious consumer
- Spread the word
- Stay informed
The City of Burlington also supports actions beyond Earth Hour, which this year falls on Saturday, March 25 at 8:30 p.m. In addition to turning the Burlington Pier lights off for Earth Hour, the City of Burlington is investing in longer term actions to transition away from the use of fossil fuels for transportation, buildings and other sectors including:
- Designing and constructing City facilities to have a net zero or low carbon footprint, such as the new City Park Pavilion, former Robert Bateman High School (retrofit) and Skyway Arena and Community Centre (redevelopment)
- Transitioning the City’s fleet to battery electric
- Completing an Electric Mobility Strategy in partnership with BurlingtonGreen and expanding EV charging stations on City property, where charging is currently free (parking rates may still apply depending on the lot)
- Completing a feasibility study for Burlington Transit to transition to electric buses
- Planning for a home energy efficiency retrofit program, Better Homes Burlington, to support homeowners to improve energy efficiency and transition from the use of fossil fuels
- Working with Burlington Hydro to assess the capacity of the local distribution grid to sustain the growth of electric vehicles and charging needs, electrification of thermal (heating) energy and increased use of battery electric maintenance equipment, while also ensuring resilience for a changing climate
- Finalizing an Integrated Mobility Plan, including a Cycling Plan, to support active and sustainable transportation options in our community
- Promoting actions for homeowners and businesses to help them transition off of the use of fossil fuels through special events such as EV test drives, our blog takeactionburlington.ca, and through our climate networks with the Bay Area Climate Change Council and Halton Climate Collective.
At the same time, the City is committed to preparing for our anticipated warmer, wetter and wilder weather with City Council approving the first climate adaptation plan called Climate Resilient Burlington in 2022. Other related initiatives include:
- Alert Burlington – Community Notification System
- Cooling and Warming Centres in partnership with Burlington Public Library
- Home Flood Protection Assessment Program
- Plumbing Permit Fee Grant Program
- Halton Region’s Enhanced Basement Flooding Prevention Subsidy Program
- Stormwater infrastructure improvements such as larger creek culverts and creek channel improvements
- Burlington Stormwater Management Design Guidelines
- Urban Forest Master Plan and Woodlands Management Strategy (to be finalized in 2023)
- Municipal Natural Assets Initiative – Grindstone Creek Watershed Project
- Spencer Smith Park and Beachway stabilization and wave breaks
- Asset Management Plan
Take Action Burlington! Let’s make every hour Earth Hour. Collectively we can make a difference.
Take Action Burlington 