Town partners with ecoCaledon and Caledon Public Library for 2026 Earth Hour Event

By Riley Murphy

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

For the first time, the Town of Caledon, ecoCaledon, and the Caledon Public Library (CPL) are partnering to bring fun and festivities for this year's Earth Hour event at the Caledon East Community Complex on March 28 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Earth Hour is a global movement that encourages people to take simple actions in support of the planet, such as switching off non-essential lights for one hour during Earth Hour.

The event, initially held by ecoCaledon and the Town of Caledon, is joining with CPL this year to make it more accessible to everyone.

Lucrezia Chiappetta, co-chair of ecoCalendon, says that incorporating the Library into the event allows accessibility for those who cannot make it to Caledon East, or who don't like driving in the evenings.

The Library will hold numerous Earth Hour activities.

Their location in Caledon East will be open after hours as well and running activities, and the other five locations will be running Earth Hour activities during the day.

If you visit the Caledon East branch between 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. for Earth Hour activities, attendees will get to experience story time by flashlight, interactive experiences at the Cory Trépanier Creativity Studio, live makerspace demonstrations, and more.

“This way, we're able to engage younger families and we're able to engage all of the corners of the community,” says Chiappetta.

With last year being the inaugural event, the teams have put together some fun, new, engaging activities for the community this year, including a smoothie bike where residents can pedal to make their own smoothie of choice, showcasing just how much energy it takes to complete our daily tasks.

Chiappetta says they were looking for more interactive activities that could also highlight energy conservation.

Returning this year will be dimly lit yoga later in the evening, as well as snacks and refreshments, giveaways and prizes and their Eco Marketplace with various vendors.

The marketplace will be a chance for attendees to meet local sustainable vendors and explore products, services, and ideas that support greener living.

“It's really meant to be family friendly, and for all abilities, we're trying to tackle that as much as possible and make this an event for everybody,” says Chiappetta.

Also returning this year is the night walk organized by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA).

Chiappetta says not only does the walk provide a great opportunity to view the night sky, but it also has an educational component as the TRCA can discuss various nocturnal animals in the area.

“For me, what's really great is engaging more residents in sustainability,” says Chiappetta, adding this event offers the chance for local schools to come and discuss their environmental initiatives.

Last year, she says, was a huge success, bringing in 300 to 400 people, and much of it was due to the many activities they offered with their partners and community groups.

“Around Earth Day, you'll find lots of different events happening across different communities, whereas Earth Hour even though it's been around for 20 years, it's not as publicly celebrated,” explains Chiappetta.

She adds that many people celebrate from their own homes, and they wanted to pick a day to celebrate sustainability with everyone.

At the event, community members will also be able to pledge for the planet by taking part in a community commitment, choosing one sustainable action to carry forward throughout the year.

“Really getting individuals, kids, families, adults, everybody to highlight what they do that's good for the planet, but also thanking the planet for all that it gives to us. So, it's about what we do, but also appreciating all that we have,” says Chiappetta.

ecoCaledon will also host an Earth Day repair cafe, where residents can give their household items a second life and support a circular economy in Caledon.

This time, they're bringing the event back to the Caledon Seniors Centre, with coffee and muffin sales going back to support their hosts.

Chiappeta says they will invite various community groups and vendors with a sustainability focus to celebrate Earth Month at the event.

Their team of fixers will be on hand to fix a wide variety of items, including deflated bike tires, broken toasters, items to be stitched, and more.

Chiapetta says that building awareness is at the heart of what they do at ecoCaledon, and they enjoying taking the opportunity to provide hands on experience to help empower residents to take action in their own homes and communities.