Calls on City to Turn off All Non-Essential Lights

On March 28, Boston City Councilor At-Large John Connolly introduced a resolution calling on the City of Boston to participate in Earth Hour.  This is the fourth year that Councilor Connolly will lead participation in this annual awareness event created by the World Wildlife Fund.

Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia in 2007 and by 2011 reached over 1.8 billion people in 135 countries across every continent, and is now the World’s largest campaign for the planet.

In the resolution, the City Council “calls for the City of Boston to participate in Earth Hour March 31, 2012 between 8:30 PM and 9:30 PM by turning off all non-essential city lights to raise awareness about ways to combat global climate change and the importance of each contribution to the effort.”

In fiscal year 2012, the City of Boston appropriated over $56 million for utilities.

“Earth Hour is a way for Boston’s entire community to show its dedication to a green, healthy and energy efficient city,” Councilor Connolly said.

Councilor Connolly is Vice Chair of the Council’s Committee on Environment and Human Rights.  He also served on the Boston Climate Action Leadership Committee, a task force charged with setting goals for community-wide reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Testimony Heard on Raising Dropout Age from Chris Lovett on Vimeo.

City Councilors John Connolly and Tito Jackson talk about their attempt to raise the legal age for dropping out of school from 16 to 18. A hearing on the measure was held today by the Boston City Council. Report aired September 20, 2011.