Earth Hour is a worldwide initiative introduced by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as a ‘Lights-off event’, aimed at uniting everyone in protecting the planet. This one-hour event will be practiced in South Africa (and all over the globe) on Saturday, 28 March.
The hour engages a ‘massive mainstream community on a broad range of environmental issues’.
Millions of people in more than 7 000 towns and cities in 162 countries will spend an hour in self-imposed darkness for this massive environmental cause.
With global warming and the ever looming carbon footprint that modern day advancements have created as a price for our technological comforts, the world has tried to go as green as we can, and earth hour is just one of these endeavors.
South Africans have been urged to switch off their lights for 60 minutes between 8:30pm and 9:30pm to mark earth hour tomorrow.
Around the world, schools are encouraging the initiative by allowing kids to participate in fun activities, assemblies about the earth and plays. One school, a primary school in Handan, Hebei had students place candles on display this morning in the shape of the earth hour logo.
The City of Cape Town’s Priya Reddy said to Eyewitness News: “We’re encouraging all our residents in Cape Town to switch off their lights between 20:30 to 21:30 on Saturday night to mark Earth Hour. By switching off our lights we’re renewing our commitment to becoming a more sustainable city.”
With load-shedding underway, and the recent energy crisis in South Africa, Cape Town is hopeful that residents will definitely take part in any conservation exercises.
Cities will also be judged and rewarded for their efforts in conserving the earth and using energy efficient appliances from renewable sources.
In 2014, WWF’s Earth Hour City Challenge (EHCC) awarded Cape Town the title of ‘Global Earth Hour Capital’. In 2013, the title went to Vancouver, Canada.
According to the WWE, “ole model for the global South with a showcase of green programmes and actions other cities can replicate. Cape Town also demonstrates how city strategies to reduce carbon development and battle climate change can also help tackle other development priorities such as food, energy and water security.”
Here are some tips that can be adopted to contribute to the fight against climate change:
Replacing just one 100W globe by 20W CFL can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 84kg annually;
Switching off electrical appliances at the plug, instead of using a remote control, can reduce emissions by 106g in each household annually;
Reducing wastage of water by 100 litres a day cuts emissions by between 24kg to 63kg in each household annually;
Using pressure cookers instead of pots and pans without lids can reduce emissions by at least 125kg in each household annually;
Reducing usage of gas by 20 minutes a day each household can cut emissions by 62kg annually;
Switching from desktops to laptops can reduce an individual’s annual carbon dioxide emissions of between 205kg and 279kg;
Turning off one fan and incandescent light bulb when not in use, each household can reduce emissions by 28kg; and
Using a solar water heater instead of a 25 litre geyser can prevent emissions of about 687kg of carbon dioxide a year.
The hour engages a ‘massive mainstream community on a broad range of environmental issues’.
Millions of people in more than 7 000 towns and cities in 162 countries will spend an hour in self-imposed darkness for this massive environmental cause.
With global warming and the ever looming carbon footprint that modern day advancements have created as a price for our technological comforts, the world has tried to go as green as we can, and earth hour is just one of these endeavors.
South Africans have been urged to switch off their lights for 60 minutes between 8:30pm and 9:30pm to mark earth hour tomorrow.
Around the world, schools are encouraging the initiative by allowing kids to participate in fun activities, assemblies about the earth and plays. One school, a primary school in Handan, Hebei had students place candles on display this morning in the shape of the earth hour logo.
The City of Cape Town’s Priya Reddy said to Eyewitness News: “We’re encouraging all our residents in Cape Town to switch off their lights between 20:30 to 21:30 on Saturday night to mark Earth Hour. By switching off our lights we’re renewing our commitment to becoming a more sustainable city.”
With load-shedding underway, and the recent energy crisis in South Africa, Cape Town is hopeful that residents will definitely take part in any conservation exercises.
Cities will also be judged and rewarded for their efforts in conserving the earth and using energy efficient appliances from renewable sources.
In 2014, WWF’s Earth Hour City Challenge (EHCC) awarded Cape Town the title of ‘Global Earth Hour Capital’. In 2013, the title went to Vancouver, Canada.
According to the WWE, “ole model for the global South with a showcase of green programmes and actions other cities can replicate. Cape Town also demonstrates how city strategies to reduce carbon development and battle climate change can also help tackle other development priorities such as food, energy and water security.”
Here are some tips that can be adopted to contribute to the fight against climate change:
Replacing just one 100W globe by 20W CFL can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 84kg annually;
Switching off electrical appliances at the plug, instead of using a remote control, can reduce emissions by 106g in each household annually;
Reducing wastage of water by 100 litres a day cuts emissions by between 24kg to 63kg in each household annually;
Using pressure cookers instead of pots and pans without lids can reduce emissions by at least 125kg in each household annually;
Reducing usage of gas by 20 minutes a day each household can cut emissions by 62kg annually;
Switching from desktops to laptops can reduce an individual’s annual carbon dioxide emissions of between 205kg and 279kg;
Turning off one fan and incandescent light bulb when not in use, each household can reduce emissions by 28kg; and
Using a solar water heater instead of a 25 litre geyser can prevent emissions of about 687kg of carbon dioxide a year.
