TORONTO and VANCOUVER – Telus and Cogeco Data Services have both stepped up to honour of Earth Hour on Saturday night.
Telus said that it will turn off all non-essential lights at 8:30 p.m. local time on March 26 at 28 of its major buildings across Canada in response to Earth Hour 2011’s global call to action in respect of climate change.
"By taking part in Earth Hour we are not only supporting a global initiative that raises awareness of the need for all of us to act responsibly, we are making a statement in support of environmental sustainability," said Josh Blair, EVP of Telus human resources, in a statement. "Participation in Earth Hour is a symbolic gesture that serves as a catalyst for dialogue and year-round action as we work together as the Telus team and as citizens of this great country to explore new ways of protecting our environment."
Cogeco Data Services will disconnect from the electrical grid from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. ET on March 26, relying instead on clean energy from its natural gas generator which it says produces 30% less carbon emissions than oil burning power generation and 45% less than coal-burning power generation. The move will reduce power consumption in the city of Toronto by approximately 750kW, the equivalent of turning off over 12,000 60-watt light bulbs.
"Our unique ability to disconnect from the electrical grid and power our data centre using clean burning natural gas has a positive impact on the environment and we are looking forward to doing our part for Earth Hour”, said president Tony Ciciretto. “However, as the demand for cloud computing services grows and the need for colocation facilities increases, the IT industry must go above and beyond Earth Hour to create long term strategies and standards to reduce power consumption in data centres."
Last year, hundreds of millions of people in more than 120 countries and territories around the globe participated in Earth Hour.
