By Timothy Donaghy
Saturday, March 29 marked the date for the second annual Earth Hour run by the World Wildlife Federation. Citizens worldwide were asked to turn off all of their lights and unnecessary electrical appliances between the hours of eight and nine at night to raise awareness of climate change and energy consumption.
According to the official website, earthhour.org, it started in Sydney, Australia in March 2007 with the question of ‘how can we inspire people to take action on climate change?’ Their answer was to ask the people of Sydney to turn off their lights for one hour. The event was a huge success, and it was calculated that if the decrease of energy consumption in Sydney alone were sustained, it would be equal to taking 48,616 cars off of the road for a year.
The world took notice of this event, and it quickly became international. On Saturday, March 30, U.S. cities such as Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz all participated in the event, turning off the lights in huge skyscrapers, along major shopping avenues, and in apartments and houses citywide.
Participation grew outside of these cities as well, and was even recognized by a handful of groups and individuals on our campus. Erik Debbink, a student on the Adventure Recreation floor, turned out the lights on his floor in recognition of Earth Hour and the need for reduced energy consumption.
This global event shows that even the tiniest of actions that each and every one of us can do makes a difference in stopping climate change. Simply turning off the lights in an unoccupied room, turning off your computer at night, or switching to ‘green’ power make a big difference.
Our campus and our Campus Sustainability Council are working hard to make Green Mountain College a ‘greener’ campus, and in order to achieve that goal, we all need to pitch in by reducing our own ecological footprints here on campus. There are many resources online on how to live a ‘greener’ life, and by simply applying those tips to life on our campus. We will soon be the future protectors of Planet Earth.
