The folks who first brought you awareness of the plight of pandas and other endangered species – the World Wildlife Fund – are asking you to vote with your light switch.
On March 28, 2009 at 8:30 p.m. our time, individuals, families, businesses and governments are asked to turn off their lights and electrical appliances for one hour. The objective is to “vote” for global environmental reform and send a message to world leaders who will attend the United Nations conference for Climate Change in Copenhagen in December, 2009. Organizers are working for an updated global climate deal to replace the Kyoto agreements.
But more than that, WWF and Earth Hour proponents see the need to change the world’s collective attitude towards the use of carbon-emitting energy sources, citing the effects of climate change caused by carbon emissions as posing the greatest threat to life on Earth.
The global community, they believe, is responsible for the change that needs to take place. One hour might not seem like a lot, but that’s the point: small changes in the way we conduct our lives, our businesses and our governments can collectively make a large difference.
The first Earth Hour was in Sydney, Australia on March 31, 2007. More than two million people and two thousand businesses in that city turned off their lights and appliances for an hour. By 2008, the message had spread to 50 million people in 35 countries who turned off their lights. Earth Hour 2009 aims to reach 1 billion people in 1,000 cities globally. By press time, 943 cities in 80 countries had signed on. In addition, some famous landmarks have joined the cause: The Sydney Opera House, the world’s tallest building (Burj Dubai in Dubai), the presidential residence in Rome, the National University in Singapore. Notables like Desmond Tutu are in. 28 million Scouts worldwide are joining. In the United States, the cities of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami and Nashville have committed. How can Pacific Grove do less?
In addition to taking part, you can help spread the message through social networking, emails, and more. To learn more, go to www.earthhour.org. There are posters you can download and suggestions on how to participate on the website.