Earth Hour 2010 in Toronto

Tonight marked the fourth annual Earth Hour event where we all turn out the lights for one hour to think about the effect our actions have on our environment. Tonight I walked over to the Bathurst Street bridge to get a shot of the Toronto skyline going dark, and although it felt a little underwhelming, there was an obvious drop in electricity use when the clock struck 8:30.

Of significant note was that ALL of the major bank buildings in my line of sight extinguished their rooftop logos, including Royal Bank, Scotiabank and Bank of Montreal. Of course, the landmark CN Tower made the most impact by switching off its energy efficient LED lighting system.

Before 8:30 pm

After 8:30 pm

Dishonorable mention goes out to the following corporations:

Toyota on Front
(8:42 pm)
Shame on You!

Concord Cityplace
(8:46 pm)
Tsk! Tsk!


Rogers Centre
(8:51 pm)
Looks like someone forgot...


Best Redemption of the Night:

Rogers Centre
(8:52 pm)
...Someone finally located the switch!

As I write this, my laptop is running on battery power and I'm surrounded by a candlelit glow. The most important thing we can learn from the Earth Hour exercise is that even small gestures can make a difference to help preserve our environment.

Thanks for participating Toronto!!!

Photos by Pamela Graham for Cherish Toronto.