Octagon Businesses Lead Local Earth Hour Celebrations

The success of the DCC’s Earth Hour event in previous years has paid off and this year the businesses of the lower Octagon have taken the lead in organising festivities.

Earth Hour Dunedin 2012 will be a mellow, relaxed, lights-off evening in the Octagon from 7.30–10.30pm on saturday 31 March. There will be special, sustainable menu choices available in the restaurants, cafes and bars, acoustic music and candlelight.

Mayor Dave Cull says “It's really good to see the businesses leading Earth Hour this year. We all have a role to play in addressing climate change in our daily lives to reduce our own carbon footprints at home and at work.”

Craft Bar Manager Phil Ellis says “We are all very pleased and proud to be involved in a community-based event such as Earth Hour.  It gives us all a chance to share our commitment to the preservation of the environment, with each other and the rest of the community. As has happened in past years, the ambience and almost eerie atmosphere of little or no electric lighting in the Octagon, adds to a unique and peaceful experience.”

The Octagon will be closed to traffic, and street and building lights will be turned off between 8.30pm and 10.30pm. Delta has also generously agreed to meet the cost of switching off the lights.

In keeping with the mood of the event, the DCC will host a table at one of the restaurants for a group of Councillors, local MPs, DCC staff and others, who will be available to chat with the public about issues relating to climate change.

Earth Hour is a global initiative to raise awareness about the relevance of taking action to mitigate climate change. Find out more at www.earthhour.org.