BY JOANNA DITTMER
Saturday, March 23 was the night that the lights went out in Georgia – and all over the world.
Lights all around the globe were switched off from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. to show support for Earth Hour, an activity started in 2007 to spread the word about climate change. An estimated 50 million people participated in this year’s global event.
Earth Hour is a grassroots, worldwide event sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The goal of the organization is to promote awareness of global climate change and the impact humans have on the environment.
According to www.londoncommunitynews.com, a free community newspaper in London, Ont., the most recent Earth Hour resulted in a one per cent electricity reduction for the city.
The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) reported that Ontario as a whole reduced electricity demand by 2.7 per cent – which is equivalent to almost 50,000 old-fashioned 60-watt light bulbs being turned off, or over 2,800 homes being completed powered down at the height of Earth Hour.
A Conestoga student, who would not disclose her name, said that she agrees with the movement.
“I don’t use lights unless it’s dark outside, so yeah, I agree with it,” she said.
Earth Hour also hopes to further action on climate change from citizens and governments all around the world.
According to www.earthhour.org, the website by WWF dedicated to Earth Hour, change has already began.
“There is no doubt about it: the world is facing some of the most critical environmental challenges in its history. That may make the journey to a sustainable future seem difficult to imagine, but it is far from impossible. Change this big needs you. It needs every one of us. Together our individual actions add up to make a difference collectively. In fact, change is already underway,” the website said.
Eric Johnson, a Waterloo resident, said supporting Earth Hour means supporting the world.
“I support Earth Hour because I like the planet I’m living on. It might not seem like it does much now, but by this small gesture, it shows that we can change the world,” he said.
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