The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

THURSDAY, March 18, 2010 4 Pages WIN A BASKET Residents and area businesses/groups can win an Earth Hour prize PAGE 2 TOWN BACKS IDEA The Town of Halton Hills supports the Earth Hour initiative PAGE 2 EARTH HOUR 2010 Special pullout section Town offers tips on how to take part in Earth Hour Earth Hour is coming up soon and the Town of Halton Hills has some suggestions for how people can take part. The objective of Earth Hour on Saturday, March 27 from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. is to increase public awareness of the need to decrease energy use and take action against climate change. Area residents are encouraged to: · Register for Earth Hour at www.EarthHourCanada.org. Share your ideas about how you will be participating by emailing the Office of Sustainability at jennifers@haltonhills.ca. Enter into a draw to win one of two energy-efficiency prizes. (One prize per household, business or organization.) Names will be drawn from the first 100 e-mail entries received by noon Saturday, March 27. · Turn off unnecessary lights and unplug electronic equipment. · Change your traditional light bulbs to efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs · Turn down the thermostat. · Avoid operating major appliances during Earth Hour. · Enjoy a candlelit dinner with family and friends. · Play board games. · Read bedtime stories by flashlight. · Organize community discussions on environmental issues. · Take a walk through your neighbourhood. Take advantage of the dark skies and star gaze. · Commit to energy conservation throughout the year. For schools: · Organize symbolic Earth Hour events on Fri. · Turn off or dim any unnecessary lights (including outdoor signs) and major appliances, without compromising safety and security. · Promote Earth Hour by displaying Earth Hour posters in store windows and on restaurant tables (eg. Menu inserts, table cards). Contact the Office of Sustainability at jennifers@haltonhills.ca for a copy of free posters. · Inform your staff and customers about Earth Hour. Encourage them to participate. · Reduce energy use. Turn down your thermostat. · Replace inefficient light bulbs with efficient compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs. · Ahead of Earth Hour, advertise special pricing on energy conservation items such as compact fluorescent light bulbs, clotheslines, LED lights, energy meters and programmable thermostats. · Unplug all electrical equipment (e.g. computers) before leaving for the day on March 27 and every other day. · Consider purchasing green electricity to power your business. · Post information on Earth Hour on your website. If you operate a restaurant: · Offer a special meal or a day's special at a cost of $8.30 to recognize Earth Hour which begins at 8:30 p.m. · Offer a special meal composed of more locally grown ingredients or a meal that does not require a lot of energy to prepare. · Offer candlelit dinner service. · If your business cannot participate on March 27 consider taking action Friday, March 26. Playing board games by candlelight is one way your family can spend Earth Hour which runs from 8:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 27. --News Canada March 26 because schools are closed on March 27 · Turn off or dim any unnecessary lights, without compromising safety and security. · Organize environmentally-themed contests for students and teachers. For Businesses · Register for Earth Hour at www.earthhourcanada.org. Share your ideas about how you will be participating by emailing the Office of Sustainability at jennifers@haltonhills.ca. Maximum on one prize per household, business or organization. Names will be drawn from the first 100 email entries received by noon Saturday, March 27.