Flicking the Switch for Earth Hour

Started in Sydney Australia in 2007, Earth Hour is now an international annual event that calls for homes and businesses across the globe to switch off their lights and non-essential electrical appliances for one hour.

Last Saturday, March 29th at 8:00pm, millions of homes and businesses across the globe switched off their lights to support the Earth Hour campaign; aiming to raise more awareness of global warming and demonstrate that together we can make a difference.

Cities participating in the event included Aalborg, Aarhus, Adelaide, Atlanta, Bangkok, Bogota, Brisbane, Canberra, Chicago, Christchurch, Copenhagen, Darwin, Dublin, Hobart, Manila, Melbourne, Montreal, Odense, Ottawa, Perth, Phoenix, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Suva and Lautoka, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Toronto and Vancouver – cities from all over the globe.

In this article from the Chicago Tribune, it is estimated that Chicago was saved from 840,000 pounds of carbon dioxide – which would take 104 acres of trees to offset for the hour. While in this AFP article, it is said that the power consumption in Christchurch New Zealand was reduced by almost 13%, and an estimated 8.4% less energy was consumed in Sydney Australia.

Already the countdown to Earth Hour 2009 has begun… Visit www.earthhour.org to register for next year and see the difference that can be achieved on a global level.