Earth Hour 2010 observed at The Fairmont Banff Springs March 27, 2010

One of Canada’s leading icons and National Historic sites will go dark for 60 minutes on March 27, 2010. The Fairmont Banff Springs joins a growing list of companies around the world that will show their support for Mother Earth. The hour of action known as EARTH HOUR began as a single city event in Sydney, Australia in 2008.

This year, the Castle will turn off the lights that illuminate the exterior of the hotel and the famed statue of Sir William Cornelius Van Horne thus signalling to the Town of Banff that EARTH HOUR has begun. Inside the hallowed halls, the Environmental committee will spring into action dimming lights throughout the common spaces and ensuring unnecessary lights are turned off.

Guests are encouraged to join this worldwide event by turning off their guest room lights and take part in the various programs designed for the evening. This year, The Fairmont Banff Springs has partnered with astronomers from the TELUS World of Science in Calgary. The astronomers will take guests of all ages outdoors to teach them about the stars that light up the night’s sky in Banff National Park. At the same time, guests can sit in front of a crackling fire on the Rundle Terrace and listen to stories of the hotel’s yesteryear with Dave Moberg, one of the hotel’s longest serving colleagues and Hotel Tour director.

Dining outlets in the hotel will dim their lights and guests will dine by candlelight. The Waldhaus will serve up a fondue special as the evening’s primary offering. This will, in turn, decrease the energy required by the kitchen and provide guests with an authentic Waldhaus experience. One dollar from every fondue experience served will be donated to the World Wildlife Fund. In the Waldhaus Pub, the team will have the grill fired up outside on the patio with burgers and bratwursts complete with all the fixings for a great night. For dessert, guests can enjoy roasting marshmallows over the fire. In hotel, the Rundle Lounge will dawn a luminary glow with candles and feature organic beer and wine.

On Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 8:30 p.m. (local time), Fairmont’s world-class hotels and resorts from Vancouver to Singapore will go dark by turning off their lights for one hour – EARTH HOUR – and in doing so reinforce the company’s pioneering commitment to operation sustainability and help draw further attention to one of the world’s single largest environmental issues: climate change.