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Wednesday, March 3, 2010 Orono Weekly Times - 9 It's more than just switching off the lights by Maggie Savage Once again the Kawartha Pine Ridge (KPR) District School Board is welcoming all its schools and families to help celebrate Earth Day, by turn- 29 King Ave., W., Newcastle Ontario, L1B 1H2 905-987-1133 · Fireplaces · Mantels · Hearth Accessories · Antique Cookstoves · BBQ's · Patio Furniture · Awnings · Gas Piping ing off the power for one hour, on March 27. Earth Hour started back in 2007, in Sydney Australia, when 2.2 million people "powered down" on Earth Day, which stopped 25,000 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the earth's atmosphere. Since that day, Earth Hour has become a global initiative. In 2008, 50 million people and 35 countries celebrated Earth Hour and in 2009, 4,000 cities and 88 countries celebrated this growing event. "We wholeheartedly support this important cause," notes Board Chairperson Diane Lloyd, in a statment issued from the KPR school board on February 22, 2010. "We teach our students to be environmentally responsible, respectful of the earth and conscious of our waste reduction. As a board, we also have reduced our environmental footprint. We buy green products, install energy-saving appliances and building materials and take other steps to decrease our energy consumption." Earth Hour is more than just switching off the lights. It is to raise awareness for the future and to live Earth Hour every hour. The KPR board is motivating people and schools to join. Twelve schools have now been registered as Eco Schools, where everything in the schools contributes to saving the environment. On Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 8:30 pm, KPR invites all to "power down" everything in their homes, businesses and schools for one hour. Schools from KPR have planted trees and gardens, reduced paper usage, expanded electronic communication, reminded students to turn off lights and computers when they leave a room, expanded their recycling and composting programs and more, states KPR's Director of Education, Rusty Hick. In 2008, the first year KPR began to urge people to join its website, 1,061 people registered. In 2009, that number grew to 4,027 people. Publicity from KPR's Earth Hour has won awards from the Texas-based Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals in 2008, and from the Canadian Association of Communicators in Education, in 2009. Earth Hour is a global initiative of the World Wildlife Federation. For further information and to register, visit the school board's website, www.kprschools.ca. Are you in an abusive relationship? Call 905-623-6050 or 1-800-338-3397 For women with or without children. Bethesda House