Earth Hour – a grassroots message to federal politicians?

Simple but dramatic, 7.30-8.30pm, Saturday 31 March 07 (your local time)

This event may not hugely reduce emissions in the overall sense BUT it WILL make a very dramatic statement, especially to our pollies. We DO want to see policies on climate change and have a chance to debate them, well before the federal election. This sentiment was very clear at a Climate Action Now meeting in Warrandyte (Vic) on Wednesday night. There are now several groups in Melbourne’s east, and no doubt elsewhere, who are working together, sharing info and strategies. Having a say on future climate change policy is top of the agenda. Do let us know if action groups are forming your State or Territory?

What is Earth Hour?

The idea is that companies, government departments, individuals and families to turn off their lights for just one hour. This first Earth Hour’s objective is savings in green house gas emissions equivalent to taking 75,000 medium sized cars off the road for one whole year.

Unfortunately not everybody listens to the facts, so Earth Hour is an opportunity for concerned individuals families to do something about climate change. As the publicity for this event says,

“On one night, in one hour, more will be demonstrated, and more will be learned than through a hundred ‘talk-fests’. And you can help to make it happen.”

We could give one out of the 8,766 hours in a year back to the earth in an annual event.

The goals of Earth Hour:

Households: Most of us use unnecessary electricity. Appliances on standby, old style light bulbs, lights left on when we’re not using them. Earth Hour will help us all to realise just how simply we can make a dramatic impact upon global warming (and our own power bills). We will see it in action.

Companies: If every company turned off its lights when the buildings weren’t in use, and combined it with energy saving technology, we would save between 2 and 4 million tonnes of greenhouse gasses every year. Earth Hour will show companies just how easy that is.

What you can do:

• Log onto www.earthhour.org, sign up to Earth Hour and pledge to turn off your lights on 31 March from 7.30-8.30pm. You can help make Earth Hour a success and learn how to cut your own energy bills in the long term. Pledging is free.
• Get off standby : Turn off all the electronic equipment and appliances in your home that are not being used or are on standby. Computers, televisions, stereo equipment, phone chargers, DVD or video equipment.

Spread the word about earth Hour by involving your friends, family and workmates. Get them to pledge at earthhour.org and, turn off the lights at 7.30pm Saturday 31 March 2007.