Calgary: Residents too cold to spend one hour per year trying to prevent runaway global warming?

Building on Earth Hour

The awareness-raising event has grown since it began in Sydney, Australia, in 2007; however, Calgary has repeatedly come under fire for its lacklustre participation. According to Enmax, the overall reduction in power Saturday "was so minuscule, that it couldn't even be attributed to that particular event," said spokeswoman Doris Kaufmann.

Edmonton's participation was even worse, with power rising 1.01 per cent over the same day and time last year, according to Epcor.

The success of Earth Hour, however, shouldn't be measured by the mere reduction in power consumption over a 60-minute period. Calgary's weak showings over the years perhaps reflect nothing more than the fact cold weather requires residents to keep warm. It's easier to win greater participation in warm climates, where turning off the power for an hour isn't particularly painful.