B.C. Hydro is encouraging Delta residents to join millions of Canadians in support of Earth Hour 2011 by turning off their lights this Saturday from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Earth Hour is an annual global event hosted by WWF and supported provincially by B.C. Hydro. The goal of the event is to encourage individuals to turn off unnecessary lights and electronics in an effort to conserve power and in doing so, demonstrate support for the fight against climate change.

Last year, Delta reduced its electricity consumption by 1.5 per cent during Earth Hour. Provincially, the load dropped by 1.04 per cent. The community of Burns Lake measured the highest reduction in consumption in B.C. at seven per cent.

"British Columbia is a leader in North America in conservation and Earth Hour provides the perfect opportunity for all of us to make one concerted action at the same time to showcase our leadership," said Minister of Energy and Mines Rich Coleman. "It's simple, individual actions like this that can help us achieve our target of meeting two-thirds of our electricity needs through efficiency and conservation by 2020."

Dave Cobb, B.C. Hydro's president and CEO added, "Earth Hour's goals complement our conservation strategies and we fully support programs that get people thinking about how they can reduce energy waste and use year-round. If everyone who participated last year turned off their unnecessary lights and appliances for just one hour every evening, the combined savings would be enough to power close to 2,200 homes for an entire year. That's a goal worth exceeding."

Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia in 2007 and has grown to become a global phenomenon. In 2010, Earth Hour reached more than 1.3 billion people in 128 countries and territories. More than 10 million Canadians participated in about 300 cities and towns.

British Columbians can pledge their support for Earth Hour at www.EarthHourCanada.org. Conservation tips for the home and office can be found at www.bchydro.com.