Vermont Business Magazine On Saturday, March 24, the lights of iconic sites like the Sydney Opera House, the Empire State Building, and the Space Needle will be turned off between 8:30 and 9:30 pm to show solidarity in the fight against climate change as people around the world celebrate the 12th annual Earth Hour, an event that originated as a symbolic “lights out” event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Burlington Electric Department General Manager Neale Lunderville and Church Street Marketplace Director Ron Redmond are encouraging Burlington homeowners, renters, and businesses to join City Hall, Burlington Electric, the Church Street Marketplace, and the Unitarian Universalist Church (UU) in turning off non-essential lights during that special hour to symbolize their commitment toward addressing climate change. Unique to Burlington's celebration will be star and planet gazing on the UUlawn, sponsored by the Vermont Astronomical Society. Burlington has participated in Earth Hour since 2010.
“Now, more than ever, it’s important for municipal governments, local businesses, and others in our community to stand up in the fight against climate change and to send a message about the importance of being good stewards of our environment by participating in Earth Hour,” said Burlington Electric GM Lunderville. “At Burlington Electric, our team is proud of our efforts to fight climate change, including our 100 percent renewable generation accomplishment and our work to make Burlington into a net zero energy city.”
“Our downtown businesses are pleased to participate in this Burlington tradition because they understand that the negative impacts of climate change are bad for business and bad for the local economy,” stated Church Street Marketplace Director Ron Redmond. “Participating in events like Earth Hour demonstrates our commitment to this important issue that matters to Burlington shoppers and those who visit Church Street.”
For more information about Earth Hour and Burlington Electric’s 100 percent renewability accomplishment and net zero energy efforts, please visit the following links:
- Earth Hour: https://www.earthhour.org/what-is-earth-hour
- Burlington Electric 2017 Performance Measures Report: https://www.burlingtonelectric.com/performance-measures-report
Source: BED 3.22.2018