Toronto's Entertainment District Powers Down During WWF's Annual EARTH HOUR

TORONTO, March 22, 2013 /CNW/ - Several businesses in Toronto's Entertainment District will dim their lights and light up thousands of candles in support of the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) seventh annual EARTH HOUR. Lights at several restaurants and eight Entertainment District landmarks---including Luma, O&B Canteen, Benihana, EPIC, The Library Bar, TOCA, DEQ Lounge, the CN Tower, Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC), The Fairmont Royal York hotel, the Air Canada Centre, The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto, Roy Thomson Hall, Bell Media and Oxford Properties Group--- will dim for sixty minutes, beginning at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, 2013.

Visitors to the District will have an opportunity to partake in this global event by witnessing a variety of EARTH HOUR initiatives taking place at some of Toronto's most iconic buildings. The CN Tower, the MTCC and The Fairmont Royal York, located on Front Street West, will lead the power down in unison with other Entertainment District businesses and hundreds of millions of EARTH HOUR participants worldwide.

The CN Tower will turn off its exterior lights, reduce interior lighting, conserve elevator use and lower heating by a comfortable 5 degrees.  Next door, the MTCC plans to turn off all non-essential lighting in the building.  They will also participate in the second annual PCMA and MTCC organized "Meeting Industry Earth Hour Challenge." Details on the photo contest may be found at https://www.facebook.com/PcmaCanadaEastEarthHourPhotoChallenge

Nearby, The Fairmont Royal York's neon rooftop sign will go dark, signaling the hotel's "Green Team" to power down the exterior awning, canopy lights, pool area and hotel lobby.  Candlelight cocktails and dinner in Benihana, EPIC and the hotel's Library Bar will also be served. Further down the street, at the Air Canada Centre, all exterior advertising and search lights will be turned off as well as dimming of the lights on the concourses for the entire evening of the EARTH HOUR observations.

Over at The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto, all lighting in the hotel lobby, public areas and Club Lounge will be switched off and lights will be replaced with candles. At TOCA, the hotel's signature restaurant, the dining menu will feature an organic chicken roast, local organic vegetables and organic wines priced at 50% off during earth hour. An EARTH HOUR sustainable Mojito will also be offered on the menu at DEQ Lounge, along with all organic flatbread, "10km" vegetables and ingredients.

Nearby at Roy Thomson Hall, roof lighting and its Simcoe St. marquis sign, interior electronic signs and bar lighting will be turned off to honour EARTH HOUR.  Just down the street, Luma and O&B Canteen will serve dinner by candlelight.  Further north on Queen St. West, all non-essential lights at the Bell Media Queen St. campus building will be shut off, and all signage will go dark for the sixty-minute period. The Oxford Properties Group will expand its observation of EARTH HOUR in the District to its other buildings in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary.

Earth Hour is a global event created by the WWF to help raise awareness and assemble hundreds of millions of people to share the opportunities and challenges of creating a sustainable world www.wwf.ca/events/earthhour. In 2008, several members of the Entertainment District were early adopters of the concept and among the first to register their participation. According to Janice Solomon, Executive Director of the Toronto Entertainment District Business Improvement Area, "On Saturday, March 23, 2013 the active participation of many Toronto Entertainment District BIA members marks the importance of EARTH HOUR, and we are proud to participate along with the hundreds of millions of people worldwide in over 6,950 cities."

About the Toronto Entertainment District Business Improvement Area:

Established in 2008, TOED's mandate is to promote, improve and preserve a dynamic area of Toronto.  Benefitting from economic, environmental and social factors driving downtown growth, the Entertainment District is in the midst of a renaissance, firmly establishing itself as a thriving and vibrant district for living, creating, working and entertainment. The District is generally bound by the Financial District to the East, Queen St. West to the North, Spadina Ave to the West and the Gardiner Expressway and Harbourfront to the South.
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SOURCE: Toronto Entertainment District Business Improvement Area

Janice Solomon, Executive Director
Toronto Entertainment District BIA
416-926-1337 [email protected]
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