Lights Off for Earth Hour on March 30
City Promotes Energy Conservation
March 26, 2019
With the flick of a switch at 8:30 p.m. this Saturday, March 30, the City of Tallahassee will join other municipalities and millions of people worldwide in support of Earth Hour, a global energy awareness initiative of the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF).
In solidarity with this global effort, the City will turn off non-essential lights in select City-owned and operated facilities from 8:30-9:30 p.m. that day as a symbolic action to spotlight the importance of energy conservation and natural resource preservation.
Area residents are encouraged to participate, too, by turning lights off in their homes and businesses during this 60-minute period (or longer), as feasible. WWF encourages everyone to use #Connect2Earth on social media to join the global conversation.
"Turning off the lights for one hour may seem small, but the collective impact we can have is substantial. Continuing to reduce energy consumption is essential for achieving our community's clean energy goals," Mayor John Dailey said.
The City has the strongest Demand Side Management (DSM) Conservation program in the industry, which helps customers use energy more efficiently, thus preserving natural resources. The success of the City's DSM programs have made it possible to defer over 100 megawatts (MW) of additional generating capacity that would have otherwise been needed. Because of its focus on sustainability, the City's Electric Utility has reduced emissions beyond the set goals for both the 2020 Paris Accord and the Kyoto protocol.
Enjoying a clean, healthy environment is a hallmark of life in Tallahassee. Earlier this year, the Tallahassee City Commission voted unanimously to adopt a Clean Energy Resolution, further strengthening the City of Tallahassee's commitment to sustainability. The resolution outlines the City's goal of moving the organization and community to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050, including setting milestone markers.
Progress is already being made toward these milestones. StarMetro, the City's mass transit system, is in the process of purchasing 15 new, all-electric buses as part of a partnership with Florida State University. This means one-third of the City's daily bus fleet will be electric, and it will create one of the first all-electric campus bus systems in the nation. Additionally, the City is expanding its solar energy production with the upcoming construction of Solar Farm 2, which is slated to be a 40MW facility.
In 2018, an unprecedented 188 countries and territories and more than 17,900 landmarks and monuments took part in Earth Hour, according to WWF. The City is proud to be part of this worldwide effort. For more information, visit EarthHour.org.
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