Earth Hour - 27 March

On 28 March 2009, in probably the single biggest mass action in history, a wave of darkness swept across the world's cities and towns as millions of people switched off their lights for an hour, pledging their support for decisive action against climate change.

In South Africa more than 100 000 people signed up their support. Further, based on the reduced electricity consumption over Earth Hour, ESKOM estimated that 1 million South African households participated! Earth Hour 2010 will have a very important role to play in ensuring that the South African government takes strong action against climate change.

For Earth Hour 2010, WWF calls on South Africans to switch off their lights on Saturday, 27 March, as a symbolic act to send a powerful message to leaders that the time to act on climate change is now.

This year WWF is challenging individuals, businesses, and communities to take the lead by pledging to reduce their own carbon footprint. We have to show world leaders that we are serious about tackling climate change and that we want them to deliver a fair, effective and binding climate deal.

Rolling out Earth Hour is easy, all you have to do is:

• Pledge your support on http://www.wwf.org.za/.
• Switch off the lights of your buildings on 27 March from 8:30pm - 9:30pm.
• Spread the message to your staff, students, members, colleagues, customers, tenants, yes, everybody! (We will email you a generic message to send out in the beginning of March.)
• Show your support by posting the Earth Hour 2010 web banner on your website, printing t-shirts for your staff or having an Earth Hour event on the night.
• If you would like to support Earth Hour 2010 in a big way by sponsoring an event or donating advertising space, please contact us on 021 888 2800.

Please save the date: 27 March 2010, 8:30pm - 9:30pm.
We hope that you will support Earth Hour 2010.

Earth Hour 2010

On 28 March 2009, in probably the single biggest mass action in history, a wave of darkness swept across the world’s cities and towns as millions of people switched off their lights for an hour, pledging their support for decisive action against climate change.

In South Africa more than 100 000 people signed up their support. Further, based on the reduced electricity consumption over Earth Hour, ESKOM estimated that 1 million South African households participated!
Earth Hour 2010 will have a very important role to play in ensuring that the South African government takes strong action against climate change.

Please save the date: 27 March 2010, 8:30pm – 9:30pm.
We hope that you will support Earth Hour 2010. We look forward to engaging with you next year on this exciting and important worldwide campaign.

SA saved 400Mw during Earth Hour

SA saved 400 MW during Earth Hour

By: Creamer Media Reporter

30th March 2009

South Africans who participated in Earth Hour on Saturday saved about 400 MW of electricity, 400 t of carbon dioxide, 224 t of coal and about 576 000 l of water, power utility Eskom reported on Monday.

Earth Hour was organised by the World Wildlife Fund in an effort to get one-billion people worldwide to switch off their lights for one hour.

“The 400 MW translates to about four-million 100 W bulbs or 6,7-million 60 W bulbs switched off on Saturday. This shows a concerted effort by about one-million households,” said Eskom MD corporate services and Eskom climate change champion Dr Steve Lennon.

Lights on average consumed about 10% of household electricity, whereas geysers used as much as 40% of the total electricity bill, commented Lennon, highlighting the difference that could have been made if South Africans had also turned off their geysers during Earth Hour.

“We believe that the Earth Hour initiative has created incredible excitement around the need for efficient use of energy. As South Africa’s primary supplier of electricity, our hope is that all South Africans harness this excitement and use energy wisely every day of the year,” said Lennon.

City of Johannesburg member of the Mayoral Committee for Environment Prema Naidoo also on Monday applauded the Earth Hour initiative.

“We hope that this symbolic gesture has demonstrated to the world that people everywhere are concerned about this issue, and are willing to act,” he commented.

Naidoo expressed the need for people to take action against climate change and global warning now, saying that it hoped government’s National Energy Efficiency Campaign would be supported by every individual, business and energy player.

“Here in South Africa, we have unique reasons to be concerned about the energy issue. It is not widely understood that the production of electricity produces enormous amounts of carbon dioxide, one of the main greenhouse gases. As a result of our habits of energy wastage, we have become the eleventh highest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the world, he said.

Edited by: Mariaan Webb