Canadian McDonald's Restaurants to Support Earth Hour

Canadian McDonald's Restaurants to Support Earth Hour
March 25, 2008

As part of its ongoing efforts to implement energy-saving practices, McDonald's Canada and participating restaurants will be actively supporting Earth Hour, and in the process could save more than 10,000 kilowatt hours in electricity usage, which is the same amount of energy the average Canadian household uses in a year. A global initiative led by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to inspire people to take action on climate change, Earth Hour will take place on Saturday, March 29. While all participating McDonald's restaurants will remain open and fully operational, at 8 p.m., for one full hour, customers and passers-by will notice darkened road signs and roof beams at each location. Through energy-saving practices in the areas of ventilation, lighting and heating, McDonald's restaurants in Canada have saved an estimated 3.1 million kilowatt hours since 2005, which equates to 2,375 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions--equal to taking approximately 435 cars off the road. In addition, 37 McDonald's restaurants in Alberta, Canada, are now purchasing wind-generated electricity, while two restaurants in Quebec have pioneered the use of a geothermal renewable energy system. McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Ltd. and its Canadian franchisees own and operate more than 1,400 restaurants.