Countdown to Earth Hour 8:30pm local time Saturday March 27

[Cees Binkhorst]

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Countdown to Earth Hour
The official countdown has begun. At exactly 8:30 p.m. on Saturday,
March 27, it’s anticipated that more than one billion people in more
than 100 countries around the world will turn off their lights for one
hour, APA reports quoting torontosun.com web-page. The goal is to raise
global awareness about climate change.
Earth Hour has moved rapidly from being a single event in Sydney,
Australia in 2007, to become the largest environmental action in human
history.
In 2009, hundreds of millions of people turned out their lights for one
hour to show their support for climate action. In Canada, an estimated
5% of adult Canadians participated.
Earth Hour 2010 is expected to be an even bigger event this year. Public
interest has increased dramatically since the failure of last December’s
United Nations Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen to reach a binding
global agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
While one hour isn’t going to change the world, “It’s about giving
people a voice for the future of our planet, and sending a message to
our world leaders that we want action on climate change,” according to
the official Earth Hour website.
Join in the fun!
The World Wildlife Fund, the official Canadian supporter of Earth Hour,
suggests the following ways you can participate in Earth Hour 2010:
* Sign-up at www.earthhourcanada.org
* On March 27, turn off your lights (and other non-essential power) from
8:30 to 9:30 p.m.
* Consider what else can be done within your home and workplace to drive
change in behaviour and practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
* Download a toolkit for ideas on what to do during the hour and how to
get your friends, family and neighbours involved.
* Find an event in your community – preferably one that you don’t have
to drive to!
Make every hour, Earth Hour
While turning off lights on March 27 is a great way to show your support
for action on climate change, Earth Hour organizers suggests the
following five easy steps to help make every hour, Earth Hour:
* BYOB. Bring your own bag and help eliminate single-use plastic bags
(made from oil, a non-renewable resource).
* Leave the car at home. Reduce your greenhouse gas emissions and walk
(don’t ride) for local errands such as dropping your kids off at school.
As an added bonus, you’ll get some great exercise.
* If walking is not an option, take public transit.
* Let it all hang out. Instead of using your energy-guzzling dryer, hang
your clothes out to dry. A small investment in a clothesline can provide
big energy savings.
* Eat local. Local food is grown closer to where it’s being consumed, so
it doesn’t travel thousands of miles to reach our plates. (Bonus: Food
is fresher and tastes better.)
* Get compacted! Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact
fluorescent lighting (CFL) bulbs. They last longer and use far less energy.
* Bonus tip: Earth Hour Canada advises, if you’re already taking any of
these actions, become a role model by signing up for Earth Hour.
Energy use in the home
Turning off your lights is an effective and very visual way to
immediately “reduce the juice” in your home, but lighting only accounts
for an estimated 11% of household energy consumption. A far more
effective way to reduce your home’s energy footprint is to turn down the
heat, invest in power bars to eliminate “phantom load” from major
electronic equipment, or wash clothes in cold water.
Energy consumption in the average Canadian home:
Heating and Cooling 45+%
Appliances 30%
Water heaters 13%
Lighting 11%
Making a real difference
Replacing electric lighting with candles during Earth Hour can actually
increase atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions. The reason: almost 60% of
Canadians rely on hydroelectric and nuclear power to produce their
electricity. Neither generating source produces GHGs.
A better and safer option is to use electric candles or LED flashlights.
They are both energy efficient and eliminate the risk of fire from open
flames.

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