Let’s Show Our Environmental Solidarity on Earth Hour

Earth Hour Alert – Saturday 27th March at 8.30 pm

I can hardly think of a better way of starting a more in depth analysis and promotion of environmentally concerned eco-lighting than by reminding everyone of the Earth Hour coming up tomorrow, Saturday, 27th March at 8:30 PM. So whatever country you are in, you are asked to turn off as much energy guzzling appliances, lighting and particularly nonessential external and internal lighting.

There are numerous reasons for doing so but perhaps three of the prime ones are that of:

1.   You will actually be reducing the carbon imprint of your household if only for one hour.

2.   The very process of involving yourself in turning off unnecessary appliances and lighting increases your awareness of where you might be wasting electricity, which of course also costs you more, let alone the environment.

3.   A demonstration of solidarity: the fact that you see so many other people also responding to this Earth Hour is an added appreciation that you are not the only person doing this. So then, if we all, or even a good proportion of us, do respond to these environmentally beneficial initiatives, we can at least feel that our world is benefiting.

I realize that many of us already know the various tips on energy saving and things to do that can help reduce climate change but I think no harm is done in reiterating.

• Planting trees helps to re-balance the proportion of oxygen to carbon dioxide.
• Make sure that you buy energy efficient appliances when you are upgrading any electrical equipment. It is worth mentioning that it can be economically viable to immediately change as many of your electrical appliances – that are in regular use – if your present ones are 5 to 10 years old. This is because the advances made in energy efficiency over these last 5 to 10 years is so great, that you will benefit from the reduction in your energy bills.
• Make sure that you have changed your old incandescent style (40watt, 60w ,100w, etc) light bulbs with the compact fluorescent light bulbs – CFL’s for short. They are generally seven times more energy efficient in light production per unit watt.
• Are you recycling as much of your waste as is possible? More and more recycling methods and materials are now available within the local communities. It’s worth keeping a regular check to see if there is more that you can do it the recycling of glass, aluminium, plastic, paper, metals – and as I said the list is getting bigger.
• Check through your storage rooms to see what you can give away to charity shops, or even sell second-hand. Whatever you’re not using, other people may well find useful and so cuts down on more manufacturing demands.

Do let’s remember to respond to the Earth hour initiative and increase our community stand for our environment and our world – please!