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 Go Dark and Go Green! -- 2010 Earth Hour on THIS Saturday!Posted by Elisa Lai | March 26, 2010
On the night of Saturday, March 27th, you might experience a sudden blackout. If you are shopping or walking on the street, do not panic. It is not an electricity outrage. It is Earth Hour 2010! The first Earth Hour was started by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and held in Sydney in 2007. 2.2 million residences and businesses joined as a sign to fight against climate change. The Earth Hour event continues to be followed by cities and world-famous landmarks all over the globe, such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Big Ben in London, the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Leaning Tower in Pisa, the El Angel in Mexico City, the Empire State Building in New York….etc. (See more pictures of Earth Hour.) In 2009, the United Nations Headquarter also joined the Earth Hour light-off event.
(Sydney Opera House during the Earth Hour in 2007.)
Aside from Earth Hour’s symbolic impact in raising awareness around the world, the Earth Hour also caused measureable energy reduction during the one hour of blackout. According to the Sydney city government, the first Earth Hour event in 2007 reduced 10.2% of energy use during that one hour, which is equivalent to taking 48,000 cars off the road for one hour.[1] Delhi and Mumbai joined the Earth Hour campaign in 2009, and India as a whole saved 1000MW of power within that one hour (Delhi alone saved 600MV of energy).[2] One hour of darkness might be considered insignificant to a household or to a city. However, if the world all work together, the aggregated power of this one hour can be tremendous.
Now that Earth Hour is worldwide, no matter where you are this Saturday night (March 27th), remember to switch off any unnecessary or decorative lights during 8:30 pm to 9:30pm in your local time zone. Of course, when you are in the dark, there can still be a lot of fun. Why not try making a light writing art piece for example?? This may also be a great opportunity for a global debater to plan a service project! Let us join the trend to go dark and have fun during Earth Hour 2010!
Ps. Just in case you might forget about the Earth Hour, put a reminder on your Google calendar!
For more information, see the My Earth Hour website.
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