By nycScribbler, 4 April 2008

And why we need to do more!

It all started in Sydney, Australia, on March 31, 2007, when 22 million people and 2100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights for one hour. With famous establishments such as the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House participating and turning off all of their lights, this unprecedented event became the first Earth Day ever. If the greenhouse reduction accomplished in Sydney during this one hour was continuous for one year, it would be the equivalent to taking 48,616 cars off the road for a year.

On March 29, 2008, the first GLOBAL Earth Hour took place, with over 20 major cities in participation. The sponsoring organization, the World Wildlife Fund announced that individuals were to turn off their lights from the hours of 8pm-9pm. This news came to me a few days prior to Earth Hour via a forwarded e-mail from a friend. Soon I started seeing headlines on online news networks, and knew that this was a great opportunity to participate in something which I feel very strongly about. The goal of the campaign was to communicate that each individual action, in this case on a mass scale, is significant and can help to make our planet a cleaner, better place.

On Saturday evening my fiancé and I got out our candles and matches, and as soon as the hour struck, off went the lights. While making deviled eggs in the kitchen by candlelight (no easy task), I noticed several lights on in our neighboring apartment buildings. Now living in New York City, a city which I like to think of as a progressive, I expected better of my fellow neighbors. I wondered why they hadn’t turned off their lights. Was it because they didn’t know about it? Had they forgotten? Or worst of all, did they not care enough to make this tiny sacrifice? Whatever the reason, it demonstrates that the message to help fight global warming is still landing on deaf ears for many people.

I asked a couple of college students what they thought about Earth Hour and if they participated. Grace, a 20 year-old student at FIDM in Los Angeles, CA, was thrilled to participate in the event. “I heard about Earth Hour from a friend on campus and immediately knew that I wanted to be a part of it. Global warming is a serious issue. I think my generation is more eager to make change than people give us credit for,” said Grace. At 8pm Grace was at her apartment with her three roommates. “We turned off the lights and watched a movie. Actually we didn’t turn the lights back on until the movie was over two hours later,” said Grace.

Ali, a 19 year-old student at University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ, heard about Earth Day from two of her professors, as well as postings throughout campus. “It was definitely a publicized event, especially in our college community. I was at an outdoor party with some friends so we didn’t use any electricity! We had a campfire going, so yes, I feel that I participated in Earth Hour,” said Ali. It’s obvious to me that the young community is very well informed and passionate about making a change.

Now, in all honesty, this one hour was not enough to make a real difference in terms of curbing greenhouse gases – we need to do more. There are many things we can do to erase our carbon footprints. Here is a list of things we can do on a daily basis to incite change:


In the home…
• Plug air leaks
• Insulate the pipes that carry hot water through your home
• Use microwave ovens and toaster ovens instead of regular ovens when possible
• Replace standard light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs
• Run full loads when washing clothes, and only use cold or warm water
• Only run the dishwasher when there is a full load
• Don’t keep the water running when brushing your teeth
• Turn off your computer monitor when not in use
• Turn off all appliances such as printers or cable boxes when not in use
• Use power strips
• Recycle plastic, glass, and paper products


On the road…
• Buy a fuel efficient vehicle, such as a hybrid
• Don’t buy SUVs or huge gas-guzzling cars
• Walk, ride a bike, or take public transportation as often as possible
• Keep your engine tuned, check your tires to make sure they are properly inflated, and keep your wheels aligned


How to cope with weather changes…
• In summer, keep shades drawn to keep the cool in
• In winter, open shades to let the sunlight to help warm rooms
• In winter, keep your thermostat cooler at night or when the house is empty
• Install a programmable thermostat to heat and cool rooms only when necessary
• Plant trees around your house to cut cooling costs in summer
• Insulate your walls and ceilings


Now living in the big apple, I make my contribution by taking the subway or walking. In my apartment, we’ve switched to fluorescent bulbs, and we recycle everything from the standard plastic, glass, and paper products to donating old cell phones and electronics. I’ve made a conscious effort to use as little light as possible, to take quick showers, and not to waste water. These are simple things that we can all do every day.

Earth Hour was a symbolic measure used to show people that there is hope if we all contribute to make a difference. Perhaps we could do a weekly Earth Hour. And if people participated and became accustomed to it, who knows what progress we could make?

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Sources: Earth hour Fight Global Warming For more information on this year’s upcoming Earth Day, visit: Earth Day

Tegan-19 on EARTH HOUR 2009 "With just a flick of a switch, you can make a difference" "EARTH HOUR 2009 and Finding Time to Relax" "POCAHONTAS & FIRST-EVER Carbon-offset ROYAL TRIP BY BRITAIN's QUEEN" "AUSTRALIA - SYDNEY in hour-long CLIMATE CHANGE BLACKOUT" iCUBED.us Cares! Global Warming Watch, Sustainable Eating and Environment, Pollution & Over-Population