Earth Hour –what’s in it for us?

EXACTLY 68 days from today, hundreds of millions of people, homes, businesses, community groups, schools, iconic landmarks and cities across the planet will take part in the world’s largest public action for the environment – Earth Hour. This year theme is “Uniting people to protect the Planet”.

This global mass participation movement encourages people all over the planet to turn off their lights for 60 minutes in a symbolic gesture to pledge their commitment to doing something positive for the globe. Over 7 000 cities and towns in 152 countries switched off their lights for Earth Hour last year, sending a powerful message for action to save the planet.

“There is special power in Earth Hour’s bold simplicity, a moment shared in darkness,” says Morné du Plessis, WWF South Africa chief executive. “Many people care about our environment, but feel overwhelmed by the enormity of what we can do. Earth Hour is not about saving electricity for an hour. It’s an opportunity for all of us to come together to celebrate, reflect on our actions and impact, and make a renewed commitment to preserving our planet. We are all connected, and we must remember that our individual actions make a collective difference!”

This year at 8:30pm local time on Saturday, March 23, Earth Hour will see millions of people unite as the globe plunges into darkness when lights are switched off in a moment of contemplation for the planet and celebration of their year-round commitment to protect it.

The iconic “lights out” event has seen some of the most recognised buildings and landmarks switch off in celebration of the one thing that unites us all – the planet. These include Table Mountain in Cape Town to the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Johannesburg, the Sydney Opera House in Australia to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the Forbidden City in China to the Eiffel Tower in Paris and Buckingham Palace in London.

Clearly, cities around the world have engaged in the power of Earth Hour, growing exponentially since 2011 minus my Beloved Zimbabwe.

Earth Hour last year challenged people to go beyond the hour with a new campaign called “I Will If You Will” (IWIYW). Thousands of individuals accepted IWIYW challenges on YouTube to turn their symbolic action for the planet into an ongoing commitment to a sustainable future.

This platform inspired individuals to share their personal dare with the world by asking “What are you willing to do to save the planet?”
The IWIYW campaign continues this year and WWF calls on everyone to create their own challenge for the betterment of our planet and the protection of the environment, to declare and share our commitment to action beyond the hour.

Over the years South Africans have embraced the spirit of Earth Hour to unite and celebrate with global citizens of the earth, and WWF South Africa has vowed to continue to spread a message of engagement and active citizenship.

Perhaps Dear Reader, this is a time for you to share your stories, create your own challenges as well as host your own events to participate in whatever ways you feel best honour our earth.

For the uninitiated, Earth Hour uses darkness to shed light on climate change. It is an annual event, usually held on the last Saturday evening in March, when millions of people and thousands of business worldwide turn off lights and shut down most electrical appliances to celebrate sustainability and show their support for strategies that will help solve the problem of global warming.

It was inspired by a demonstration in Sydney, Australia on March 31 2007, when over 2,2 million Sydney residents and 2 100 businesses switched off lights and non-essential electrical appliances for one hour to make a powerful statement about the leading contributor to global warming: coal-fired electricity.

That single hour accounted for a 10,2% reduction in energy consumption across the city. Global icons such as the Sydney Opera House went dark, weddings were held by candlelight, and the world took notice.

The goal, of course, is to inspire people to reduce their energy consumption every day, not by sitting in the dark for an hour each night, but by taking simple steps that can have a dramatic effect such as:
• Switch to energy-efficient CFL or LED lights instead of traditional incandescent bulbs (even Thomas Edison, who invented incandescent bulbs, was a proponent of renewable energy and reducing energy consumption). Lighting accounts for about 5% of residential greenhouse gas emissions.
I am informed efforts are being made by the Environment ministry to come up with a team that will prepare for this important event by bringing together the private and public sectors together for this important date this year. There is no reason Zimbabwe should not keep this date given the progress she has been made in the environment sphere. Like World Environment Day, National Tree Planting Day, Earth Hour yearns for recognition.

But, Earth Hour participants should sustain their actions “beyond the hour.” It’s about demonstrating our commitment to the planet … about taking a stand on climate change… about promoting environmental consciousness.

It’s a symbol of hope for the future. It’s an opportunity to light lots of pretty candles and unite as a community in celebration of… well, uniting as a community. Yes, it’s all that and countless other fluffy intangibles.

So, you might as well just enjoy Earth Hour. While switching off your lights won’t achieve any material impact in terms of reducing emissions or protecting the planet, at least you can shave a bit off your electric bill while feeling good about yourselves. And of course, you will be doing your part to “raise awareness”.

millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi