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OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, March 25, 2009 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of Media Group Ltd. DAVID HARVEY General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager A special hour Can you spare one hour this weekend to help make our world a better place? This Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. Oakville residents and people in cities around the globe are being asked to join the third annual Earth Hour challenge by not using any hydro for one hour. What started out as a single-city challenge involving about two million residents of Sydney, Australia in 2007, ballooned to 371 cities and an estimated 53 million participants last year. This year, organizers say more than 1,500 cities and towns in 75 countries have already registered to go dark at 8:30 p.m. on March 28. Promoters are hoping for one billion participants in 2009. Prominent features of the world's landscape that are scheduled to go dark on Saturday include the statue of Christ overlooking Rio de Janeiro, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The idea for Earth Hour was hatched out of the Sydney office of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The first hour of darkness was intended to send world political leaders a message that steps must be taken to combat climate change that threatens every living thing on the planet. The first Earth Hour resulted in a 10 per cent reduction in hydro use in Sydney, while preventing about 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide -- about the equivalent of taking 50,000 cars off the road for one hour -- from being released into the atmosphere. Although the challenge to have Oakville turn off its lights for one hour starting at 8:30 p.m. is largely a symbolic gesture, the idea is to spread the message about the importance of reducing our carbon footprint. Last year in Oakville, Earth Hour reduced the town's energy use 8.2 per cent. This year, the goal is to reduce energy consumption by 10 per cent during the hour. The special hour also resulted in some creative methods of passing the time. For more information on Earth Hour, or to join the growing list of residents, schools and businesses in Oakville that have signed up for Earth Hour, log onto www.oakville.ca/earthhour.htm. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. School renovations jeopardize healthy trees Drive by Montclair Public School today to witness large orange X's on eight large healthy trees. For neighbours and residents, this will be the first evidence of changes that the Halton District School Board (HDSB) plans to the former middle school ... tree removal. Healthy in every way, and some three-storeys high, trees are being destroyed to make way for an addition to the school and a larger semi-circular drive. This is becoming a communitywide issue, with spring renovations planned for Sunningdale Public School and Munn's Public School. These three schools are within the same community of College Park near Sixth Line and Upper Middle Road. Not only are trees being lost at our schools and in our community, greenspace is also threatened by the board's recent announcement to sell off 10 acres north of White Oaks Secondary School nearby. Munn's Public School, also slated for an addition, will witness removal of almost all trees on the 50-year-old property. Two wellloved willows that provide welcome shade at the back of the school will be sacrificed. How many trees can HDSB plant to compensate for the dramatic loss of shade and improved air quality that these mature trees currently provide? Lack of awareness of the HDSB plans to other citizens and community groups is a major concern. Typically, a school closure or renovation announcement generates interest from the school's parents. Other citizens and community This week's poll This week's question is: Which level of government is responding better to the struggling economy? · Federal Conservatives · Ontario Liberals · Neither To vote, visit oakvillebeaver.com Last week's poll: Should the Halton Catholic and public school boards reconsider their decision to start classes before Labour Day? · Yes 85% · No 15% Total votes: 100 votes See Greenspace page 10 St. Patrick's Day inspiration Kudos to Eddie Williams for his longstanding commitment to the St. Patrick's Day walk, and the unabashed enthusiasm he exudes in trekking from Toronto's City Hall to downtown Oakville -- a distance of some 40 klicks. For those committed to good health and sustainable transportation, Eddie is an inspiration. His annual journey is a poignant reminder that walking is a wonderful means of transporting oneself from here to there. PETER D. PELLIER The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.