What will you be doing next Saturday night? Did you realize that at 8.30pm on Saturday, March 31, hundreds of thousands of Australians along the east coast of Australia will be switching off their lights and appliances in a global phenomenon called Earth Hour. They will be followed in a 24 hour wave of action as Earth Hour chimes from city to city, from town to town, from village to village around the planet. From its humble beginnings in Sydney in 2007, the concept of Earth Hour has spread like wildfire, uniting us all in a huge global community with one voice all demonstrating peacefully for a more sustainable future.
This simple action will be carried out by people in over 5000 cities covering 135 countries. It will even extend to the the International Space Station, where astronaut and ambassador Andre Kuipers will keep watch over our imperilled planet as the lights switch off on March 31, sharing photos and live commentary of his experience via the European Space Agency (ESA).
Earth Hour is organised by the World Wildlife Fund and has been supported in New South Wales by some significant sponsors such as Fairfax Media and the City of Sydney. Across Australia, grassroots Earth Hour Unplugged events will mark the hour. These include a solar-powered cruise in Newcastle, an acoustic opera gala in Brisbane and events focusing on green energy and sustainable living.
Global icons such as the Las Vegas Strip, Times Square, the Eiffel Tower, cities across China, the Burj Khalifa, Federation Square in Melbourne, the Sydney Opera House, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge will all stand in darkness for the hour. Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has pledged his support for Earth Hour. “It is heartening to see how a single action of switching off lights for Earth Hour can bring the world together to pledge action towards a better environment.” He is only one of thousands of celebrities urging us all to do our little bit.
But Earth Hour doesn’t stop at 9.30pm. This year WWF is urging us all to take some environmental action all through the year. Many of us recycle, but perhaps we can go one step further by reducing the amount of packaging we take into our homes. This means making wise choices when shopping. While the large supermarkets are very convenient places to shop at, they are forced to package almost everything in plastic. Purchasing from specialists such as butchers, bakeries and fruit and vegetable shops often reduces the amount of packaging. For example, apples and oranges can go straight into a green bag rather than plastic and butchers traditionally pack into paper bags. Not only that, but you will also be supporting local industry and, in many cases, local produce. If enough of us make just that small change to our buying habits, it will send a message to retailers and manufacturers that we want more sustainable options. Plastics are made from oil and use an enormous amount of energy. Together our choices can make a difference.
Maria Hitchcock,
Armidale
