TITLE: Title
Earth Hour Resolution
PURPOSE: To adopt a resolution encouraging participation in Earth Hour on March 19th
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DEPARTMENT: Planning
CONTACT INFORMATION: Randy Dodd 919 918-7326
INFORMATION: Earth Hour, sponsored by World Wildlife Fund, has cemented itself as the largest voluntary action for the environment, with hundreds of millions of people coming together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite simple-turning off their lights for one hour. While the global lights out remains an impactful visual call-out, its true impact is starting to be seen in areas and communities fighting climate change on an everyday basis. In its ninth year, Earth Hour 2015 broke all records of mass participation, mobilizing a record-breaking 172 countries and territories with: over 620,000 actions taken; 10,400+ landmarks and monuments switching off their lights; 247,000 signatures collected online for climate petitions; and over 82 million views of the Earth Hour video. In 2014, hundreds of millions of people became “everyday Super Heroes” for the planet. In 2013, “lights out” was the backdrop to a multitude of “beyond the hour” activities and initiatives. In 2012, the campaign launched the “I Will If You Will” campaign, with more than 200,000 individuals accepting a challenge, and astronaut André Kuipers observing the lights off event from the International Space Station. For Earth Hour 2010, polling in the United States showed that an estimated 90,000,000 Americans participated as “lights out” included iconic landmarks such as Mount Rushmore, the Las Vegas Strip, the Empire State Building and Niagara Falls. In Chicago, the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) developed lighting guidelines to reduce light pollution, and reduce the carbon footprint of downtown buildings. In Vietnam, electricity demand fell 500,000 kWh during Earth Hour 2010, which was three times larger than in 2009. Celebrity Earth Hour ambassadors have included South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, President of Vietnam Nguyễn Minh Triết, and London Mayor Boris Johnson. Sydney's Herald Sun equated the power savings in the Sydney central business district to "taking 48,613 cars off the road for 1 hour." More information about Earth Hour, including how Earth Hour began, what has been accomplished, and what is in store for 2016, is available at www.earthhour.org.
FISCAL & STAFF IMPACT: There is no fiscal or staff impact.
RECOMMENDATION:r It is recommended that the Board adopt the attached resolution.