A man and woman hold candles at Niagara Falls, Canada during Earth Hour 2009. Photo: earthhour.org

Brock will power down on Saturday as the energy conscious worldwide celebrate Earth Hour.

The University will shut off lights in parking lots T, U and V for Earth Hour on Saturday, which is 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. It will also turn off the light to the roadside Brock sign, said Scott Johnstone, manager of Electrical Services in Facilities Management.

“In a lot of other areas on campus, we are unable to turn off the lights due to health and safety concerns,” he said.

Facilities Management invites staff, faculty and students to switch off unnecessary lights in their own areas, he said.

Earth Hour is an international effort to turn off lights to conserve energy and make a statement against climate change. It began in Sydney, Australia in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses turned off their lights for one hour. It has since grown to more than 4,000 cities in 88 countries.

The effort is organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The local WWF Earth Hour ambassador is Audrey le Goff, who contacted St. Catharines businesses to encourage them to participate in Earth Hour. She also distributed tool kits at St. Catharines malls containing posters, fundraising tips and other information, she said.

“Climate change is the biggest environmental threat to our planet and the No. 1 concern for Canadians,” she said. “Participating in Earth Hour is a very simple way to show that you want to be a part of the solution.”