Christie Gardens turns off the lights, contributes to Earth Hour cause
Residents have a blast in the dark
Friday April 18, 2008 -- Jason Thompson
When it was announced Toronto would be taking part in a growing global movement called Earth Hour, the Green Team at Christie Gardens ambitiously led the charge.

By shutting off the lights March 28 between 8 and 9 p.m., approximately 250 residents and staff members joined thousands of people and businesses around the globe in an effort to curb energy consumption.

“Everybody was gung-ho,” says administrator Catherine Bellmore, praising the work of the Green Team for helping inject some fun into the event. The Green Team is made up of residents and staff working to lessen the home’s carbon footprint.

Activities were organized on each of the home’s 10 floors. Some floors sang songs while others told stories and organized games.

Up on the ninth floor, residents threw a pajama party and told jokes. Residents were having so much fun they decided to keep the party going when the lights came back on at 9 p.m.

“We sat around and told jokes for an hour and had an absolutely lovely time. In fact, we think we should do it again,” says resident Danny McCulloch, an enthusiastic Earth Hour supporter.

Although McCulloch is already looking forward to Earth Hour 2009, she wouldn’t be surprised to see Earth Hour become more than an annual event at Christie Gardens.

“Everybody is still talking about it,” she says.

Bellmore says McCulloch’s enthusiasm is matched only by that of her peers.

“That kind of enthusiasm is throughout our house when it comes to (green initiatives),” Bellmore says.

Earth Hour began March 31, 2007, in Sydney Australia when 2.2 million Sydney residents and 2,100 businesses turned off their lights for an hour in an effort to reduce the impact coal-fired generating stations are having on the planet.

According to the Earth Hour website, if the energy savings in Sydney during Earth Hour in 2007 was sustained for an entire year, it would equal removing more than 48,000 cars off the road.

Inspired by Sydney’s success in 2007, cities around the world have pledged to take part this year.

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