CITY OF NIAGARA FALLS GOING DARK FOR EARTH HOUR

NON-ESSENTIAL LIGHTING, FALLS ILLUMINATION TO BE TURNED OFF TO COMBAT EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

At a time when scientists are sounding the alarm over the effects of climate change driven by the energy consumption of humans increasing greenhouse gases, the City of Niagara Falls is poised to celebrate Earth Hour this Saturday, March 25.

The city said the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) Earth Hour is an opportunity for people, businesses and communities around the globe to unite in a "powerful call to action for a better, healthier planet."

The city said it's encouraging residents and businesses to participate in Earth Hour by turning off non-essential lighting for one hour, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The city will be turning off non-essential lighting at city facilities and encourages residents and businesses to do the same, said Jeff Guarasci, community development co-ordinator with the city.

Street lights and other light sources considered essential for safety will not be included in the lights-off efforts.

But the city said the nightly illumination of Niagara Falls will pause in support of the climate change initiative Saturday night.

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, when 2.2 million people and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. One year later, Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries/territories participating, the city said.

Global landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, CN Tower in Toronto,

Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome's Coliseum and Niagara Falls all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour, the city said.

The WWF said Earth Hour this weekend will be the largest ever, with more than 190 countries from India and Nepal to Bolivia and Madagascar taking part.

"In doing so, the world's largest grassroots environmental campaign will shine an unmissable global spotlight on the twin perils of nature loss and climate change," the WWF said.

By switching off your lights or switching off from daily habits and distractions and doing something positive for the planet, we can turn a single Earth Hour into thousands and millions of hours of action, making this the Biggest Hour for Earth yet," said Kirsten Schuijt, director general of WWF International.

For more ways to take part in Earth Hour, visit https://www.earthhour.org.