Live Video of Earth Hour as it Ripples Around the World

Scheduled to commence at 8:30 PM local time, Earth Hour will begin its journey in Kiritimati, Christmas Islands, Kiribati and it will ripple through all the time zones of the earth culminating in Honolulu 24 hrs later. Globally, the goal is participation by one billion people. More than 2,700 cities, towns and municipalities in 83 countries are officially participating. In Canada more than 260 cities and municipalities have pledged support for Earth Hour. In the US, Nearly 200 cities, towns and villages have signed on.

According to Carter Roberts Chief executive of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which sponsors Earth Hour, "The message we want people to take away is that it is within our power to solve this problem. People can take positive constructive actions."

A national poll by Environics earlier this month found that 81 per cent of Canadians plan to turn off their lights for Earth Hour. A wide array of groups and organizations are showing their support for Earth Hour. The business community is joining with others around the world to begin the task of managing climate change. Craig Noordmans, senior associate with Communica Public Affairs, has been working with property management companies in downtown Vancouver to ensure their participation in Earth Hour as a way to help the planet and save money at the same time. “We want them to instill awareness of energy conservation into their tenants and clients...and to spread the word.”

Some business people are using this year’s Earth Hour to plan what they and their companies will do year-round for the planet. Others are sharing the message of climate change and making resolutions to reduce, reuse and recycle. (Use the assessment tools in the Green Link Library to assess your company's energy consumption, calculate the ways you can save energy and reduce GHG emissions.)

Earth Hour goes way beyond turning out the lights, or even raising awareness about climate change. Earth Hour is an opportunity to act and be part of an unprecedented collective call for action. The collective voice of a billion people all around the world is sure to send a powerful message to world leaders preparing for the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December.

Watch the lights go out on live video feeds from all around the globe (Note: All times are Eastern Daylight Time)

5:30AM Sydney Opera House
8:30AM Hong Kong
12:30PM Dubai
1:30PM Moscow
2:30PM Table Mountain in Cape Town
2:30PM Istanbul
3:30PM Eiffel Tower in Paris
3:30PM Copenhagen
3:30PM Brussels
4:30PM London
7:30PM Buenos Aires
8:30PM Toronto
9:30PM Chicago
11:30PM Vancouver
11:30PM Las Vegas
11:30PM Los Angeles