TORONTO, March 26 /CNW/ - For the third year in a row Scotiabank will participate in the global climate change awareness initiative Earth Hour.

Earth Hour is an international lights out event taking place from 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 27th. The goal is to get as many individuals and businesses as possible to turn off their lights for one hour in a worldwide effort that helps raise awareness about climate change.

"Real change comes when we all work together and Scotiabank is proud once again to be a part of Earth Hour," said Kaz Flinn, Scotiabank Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility. "In addition to turning out non-essential lighting in high visibility locations across the country, we are also proud to welcome some of our international colleagues who will do the same. We are also proactively raising awareness of Earth Hour with employees through our internal website, ScotiaGreen."

Scotiabank will be participating in Earth Hour across Canada in the following locations by switching off lights and shutting down all non essential services and equipment:

Hollis Street, Halifax
    Tour Scotia, Montreal
    Sparks Street, Ottawa
    Scotia Plaza, Toronto
    200 Portage, Winnipeg
    Scotia Centre, Saskatoon
    Scotia Centre, Calgary
    Scotia Place, Edmonton
    650 West Georgia, Vancouver

Colleagues in Peru, Mexico and Guatemala will also be participating.

A leader in Corporate Social Responsibility, Scotiabank is one of only 11 blue-chip Canadian companies recognized on the 2009 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World).

Scotiabank is one of North America's premier financial institutions and Canada's most international bank. With close to 68,000 employees, Scotiabank Group and its affiliates serve approximately 14.6 million customers in some 50 countries around the world. Scotiabank offers a diverse range of products and services including personal, commercial, corporate and investment banking. With more than $507 billion in assets (as at January 31, 2010), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (BNS) and New York Exchanges (BNS). For more information please visit www.scotiabank.com.