Town surpasses Earth Hour goal By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF 7 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, April 1, 2009 Congratulations to BD for raising $85,800 for the Oakville community! Oakville's participation in Earth Hour is being declared a roaring success with an energy decrease of 13.3 per cent recorded. The reduction, which amounted to a savings of 22,233.73-kilowatt hours, exceeded last year's drop of 8.2 per cent and shattered the town's pre-Earth Hour goal of a 10 per cent decrease for this year. A total of 534 individuals registered to participate in Oakville's Earth Hour, along with 21 schools and 15 companies and organizations. This participation left a number competitors eating Oakville's dust including Burlington, which only managed an 8.8 per cent decrease and the entire Province of Ontario who only managed a provincial average of 6 per cent. Earth Hour began two years ago in Sydney, Australia, where lights were turned off for one hour to recognize global warming. Last year, it became a global event with towns and cities around the world observing an hour of lights out to raise awareness of global climate change. This year the tradition continued in spades. "I'm really happy we beat our goal," said Suzanne Austin, Municipal Energy Conservation Officer. "I definitely think it shows that awareness of climate change is growing. If anything it will be bigger next year so I think it's a good thing that we stay with this initiative and promote it every year." Those who took part in the global conservation phenomenon experienced it in a number of different ways. Some enjoyed candlelight dinners at some of Oakville's restaurants, some enjoyed a concert at St. Jude's Anglican Church and still others like the Bronte Bunch Walking Group took to the streets to celebrate the occasion. "We had a fun Earth Hour. Thirty of us walked with candles and chanted `Earth Hour, Earth Hour, Turn Off The Power,' along Lakeshore from St. George's Square, and back, then we had a social, including music, at the King's Arms," said Sylvia McGroarty. "People were energized. We had children along with us and we picked up more people along the way, plus two teenagers. Cars were honking their horns in support. Many groups were represented on our walk including Oakville Newcomers, Oakville Garden Club, Green Party and Oakville Centre for Peace, Ecology and Human Rights." One Town. One Heart. One Way. www.uwoakville.org Tutoring · · · anxiety anxiety Helping Students since 1971 Improve Grades and Confidence Grade 1 - 12 Individualized Programs · Extended medical coverage accepte W e are the e Champions! Sports-Arts-Academics Chisholm Educational Centre 1484 Cornwall Road, Oakville · 905-844-3240 · www.chisholmcentre.com SAFETY Sizzle in your CLEAN your burner ports and tubes with a pipe cleaner or wire. Put John Guzzo's 2005 Minor Atom AAA Richard Bell Tournament Champions Special Souvenir Edition Alexis Mastromarco, Footloose 2005 International Competition Overall Junior Champ published by the Oakville Beaver featuring Oakville's Champions Are you the coach/manager, teacher or sponsor of a team/athlete, musician or academic stand out? If so, you may have already appeared within the Oakville Beaver. Now you have an opportunity to have your superstar or team appear in a special supplement dedicated to champions! This special feature, publishing on April 25th, will include photos of this past winter's teams and individuals of the 2008-09 season/competitions. Email your picture with a small description of the win. Photos accepted until April 20th, 2009. Pictures without descriptions will not run. email: kmencfeld@oakvillebeaver.com CHECK the hose attached to your tank. If cracked or damaged, replace it. TEST leaks with a 50/50 water/soap solution to cylinder connections and hoses. If bubbles appear, you've got a leak. Tighten the connection or get it fixed. Last Tip? Always BBQ outdoors never in an enclosed space! The Oakville Beaver N O R T H A M E R I C A ' S M O S T A W A R D E D C O M M U N I T Y Get the tools to do it right! Sign up now for your FREE BBQ Safety Kit from Technical Standards and Safety Authority. Visit www.safetyinfo.ca/bbq or call 1-877-682-TSSA. N E W S P A P E R