Make Every Hour Earth Hour
For Immediate Release Contact:
, 202-234-7181 ext.210
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Houston before and after Lights Out. |
Saturday,
Originated by the World Wildlife Fund-Australia, the first Earth Hour took place in Sydney, in 2007. Since then, this has become a global event (www.EarthHour.org), coordinating thousands of local efforts.
According to Earth Hour, last year, hundreds of millions of people in more than 4,000 cities in 87 countries on all seven continents participated. In the U.S., 80 million Americans in 318 cities and eight states officially turned off their lights for Earth Hour including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, and San Francisco.
In Toronto, energy use decreased by over 15%. According to the power utility Eskom, South Africans who participated in Earth Hour 2009 saved about 400 MW of electricity, 400 tons of carbon dioxide, 224 tons of coal and about 576 000 liters of water.
Besides reducing energy costs and our carbon footprints, turning off or modifying lighting can save birds. It is estimated that millions of birds die each year, particularly during spring and fall migration periods and on nights with low visibility. They encounter lights on buildings and for reasons not fully understood, can’t break away. Birds fly until they collide with windows or walls or until, exhausted, they fall to the ground, easy prey for cats, crows and other scavengers.
According to Christine Sheppard, ABC’s Collision Campaign Manager, “Lights Out is win-win for birds, the environment and our pocketbooks, and Earth Hour is a great start. It takes a little effort to develop new habits, but we need to train ourselves to turn off unnecessary lights year-round. In the US, almost 20 state and city Lights Out programs are in place to dim lights during spring and fall migration. American Bird Conservancy is working with partners to initiate Lights Out campaigns in other cities, and to help people develop campaigns in their own communities.
Click below to sign up for Earth Hour!
