Participating in Earth Hour a good start to saving the planet
By Nelson Daily Staff
For almost 10 years individuals, businesses, cities and landmarks around the world have switched off lights for one hour to focus attention on climate change.
Saturday, March 28 at 8:30 p.m. the lights will once again go out for one hour as Earth Hour supporters from around the world to help fight climate change.
“I think anything that encourages people to live without electricity and their electrical gadgets — even for one hour — is a good thing,” said Michael Jessen, a Nelson-based sustainability consultant who has written about environmental issues for more than two decades.
“Hopefully, people will try it at other times of the year, more often, rather than waiting for March next year.”
Earth Hour, organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), got its big start with a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007.
The movement has grown to include more than 7000 cities and towns worldwide, and the one-hour event continues to remain the key driver of the now larger movement.
This year, Earth Hour is set to be a record-breaking celebration of our planet with an unprecedented 172 countries and territories having confirmed their participation, including nations on the climate frontlines like the Philippines, Maldives and Madagascar and key climate actors such as Brazil, the United States and China.
“Earth Hour is also a powerful tool for telling our politicians that we need them to take action on climate change now,” Jessen said.
So to The Nelson Daily readers join the rest of the world. Turn the lights out from 8:30 — 9:30 p.m.
And if you’re feeling special, go for a double dip and leave them off until 10:30 p.m. Or better yet, perhaps for the rest of the night.
Some reasons to join Earth Hour movement:
- Our generation is the first generation to feel the effects of climate change and we are the last that can do something about it
- Small steps can make a big difference. Little things like turnings lights off when you leave a room, unplugging unnecessary appliances, using energy saving light bulbs or a smart thermostat (like a Nest) to control the temperature in your home, are all little things we can all do that can make a big impact on energy consumption.
- With 162 countries and over 7,000 cities involved, Earth Hour sends a message to world leaders that we must think of our worldwide environmental impact.
- Turning off lights for one hour is really easy, do something to make it fun. Have a candlelight dinner party, look at the stars or play board games by the fireplace.
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