By Stephanie Bercht
In 2007, 2.2 million homes in Sydney, Australia, were in complete darkness for one hour. This was the beginning of Earth Hour, an annual event organized by World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The Sydney Opera House, Rome’s Coliseum and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square were only a few of the global landmarks in darkness for a whole hour in 2008.
In past years, Earth Hour was a means of promoting awareness on global warming. This year, a flick of a switch is your vote on a global scale in an election between Earth and global warming.
To vote for Earth, turn off your lights for one hour at 8:30 pm this Saturday, March 28. This year, WWF is aiming for 1 billion votes for Earth.
Some people think global warming is nonsense, but many more disagree and the actions taken during Earth Hour will be presented to the leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The meeting has the intention of determining government policies taking action against global warming and finding a replacement to the Kyoto Protocol which is set to expire in 2012.
This is empowering: it is a chance to show world leaders that people want change. It is also chance to realize, that people have the power to make changes.
This year, New Delhi, Shanghai, Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Las Vegas MGM Casino, Mexico City, Istanbul, the Great Pyramids of Giza, even some McDonald’s Golden Arches and the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, the city of lights, will be in darkness for one hour in support.
Savannah is partaking as well: the lights in Savannah City Hall and in some of the fountains will be turned off.
SCAD is encouraging all staff and faculty to turn off the lights and computers in their offices before leaving on Friday, and for all students to do the same at Earth Hour.
What will you do on March 28th at 8:30pm?
For more information, please visit the Earth Hour Web site.
