For two hours beginning at 8:30 PM on Saturday, March 26, OPUS Hotel Vancouver will join world icons like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and Rome’s Coliseum in shutting lights off to commemorate Earth Hour.
Around the world, people and businesses will turn off lights and come together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all share in common. No, I don’t mean death, taxes, and Justin Bieber. I mean our planet.
Organized by WWF, Earth Hour started just four years ago, in Sydney, Australia, and has since become the biggest grassroots environmental movement in history, with 128 countries and territories participating last year. This year participants are urged to go “beyond the hour”: to think about what else we can do to preserve the planet after the lights go back on.
On the heels of the devastation of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Earth Hour seems particularly poignant this year. At OPUS the tragedy feels especially close to home. Our own Haruko Motoyama, national sales director, was born in Japan and all her family lives there.
“I learned about the earthquake when my Mom called me on Skype from Yokohama,” says Haruko. “We spent the next three hours talking. There were constant aftershocks, and Mom kept hiding under the table. During the following days there were blackouts and the phone networks were down, so I kept up to date through Twitter.”
Fortunately, Haruko’s family is safe. But fear of another earthquake and radiation exposure prompted her parents and two sisters, one three months pregnant, to fly to Vancouver. “When they arrived they had a hard time adjusting to still ground,” Haruko says. “In Japan the earth was trembling every half hour or so.”
Haruko says she’s touched by how the international community has rallied in support of Japan. “Small things make a difference,” she says, “like Shaw Cable offering the Japanese news channel for free and phone companies offering free long distance calls to Japan. It shows that we truly are a global community.”
At OPUS we like to think that every hour is Earth Hour—except for the turning off all the lights part, which could get inconvenient for guests. When it comes to environmental-friendly hotel practices we were early adopters. So it’s only natural that we’re all about Earth Hour.
On Saturday night it’ll be lights out at the front desk, in the lobby, bar, and restaurant, and on the hotel’s exterior. Guests will be encouraged to participate, and guestrooms will be supplied with flashlights, which they can keep for $5, with all proceeds going to the Japan Relief Fund.
And who says Earth Hour can’t be a bit sexy? Dinner and drinks will be by candlelight in OPUS Bar and One Hundred Nights, where a special “Going Beyond the Hour” three-course menu will be available for $45. Throughout the hotel, 15% of food revenue will be donated to the Japan Relief Fund.
For more information about Earth Hour and how you can contribute, click here.
I just saw the Global TV story in which you discussed your efforts to support Earth Hour. It looked good until you got to the part about providing flashlights which really made me laugh. Batteries are a source of power and even if the batteries are recyclable I think it was rather silly. Having been in hotels with the lights out though, I see why you’ve taken that step. But to tout it as a green measure is pretty poorly though out! Good on you otherwise.
Hello Janet,
Thank you for your comment and I apologize for the delay. I understand your point, but sadly we couldn’t have had candles in the hotel rooms due to it being a fire hazard and felt the minimum $5 donation to the Japan Relief Fund was a great away around the use of flashlights. We will consider other alternatives next year for Earth Hour. If you have any ideas I would really appreciate it. Thank you again for your comments. Chella Levesque, National Director of Marketing, OPUS Hotels
Is this a yearly thing?
Yes it is part of our ongoing environmental initiatives.
On 26th of march we have observed the earth hour and also take a part in that and Opus Hotel Does great job in making an awareness amongst his customer is really an appreciable thing.
Thank you! We look forward to continuing our involvement in Earth Hour each year.
I wonder what will the other hotels and high rise condominiums with a “no brown out” promotions do during such events. I guess they seek a more reliable alternatives like a high power for this.