Earth Hour 2011

This year Earth Hour falls on Election Day, March 26 at 8.30pm. No doubt many of us will be glued to our sets watching the TV coverage of the counting. While you watch you are being urged to switch off the lights and other appliances for one hour to join in a massive global movement called Earth Hour which began in Sydney in 2007 and has since exploded into a worldwide phenomenon.
In partnership with the World Wildlife Fund, this year the slogan is to ‘Go Beyond The Hour’ urging people around the globe to make a commitment towards positive action on sustainability and low-carbon living.
Last year 128 countries became involved at all levels, from individuals to national governments. The Earth Hour website, www.earthhour.org lists several initiatives including Sweden’s Competition for the best sustainability town plan which will attract a national prize and Shenyang in China which plans to reforest 38,000 hectares over the next year. To assist getting the message out, the Earth Hour organisation is utilising all the social media available and hopes to involve a huge number of followers using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, MySpace and a Blog. People will be able to download an app for their iPhones to allow them to share their Earth Hour experiences by posting photos and videos online.
Participants are also being encouraged to download all sorts of publicity materials like virtual banners and tiles. They can print out posters and stickers to spread the word. Celebrities, sports stars, rock stars and even some Nobel Prize winners are promoting Earth Hour 2011. In Sydney the event at First Fleet Park will start with a minute’s silence for the victims of the Japanese Tsunami.
Earth Hour is not just a stunt – it is an amazing global movement raising awareness of our environment and the dangers we face through global warming. Learning to live sustainably is essential and every one of us can play a part. I am urging you to join with millions of our global citizens on Saturday and switch off your lights and other appliances at 8.30pm on Saturday and reflect on what you might do in the coming year to cut back on energy usage. It might even save you money on your power bills.
Maria Hitchcock