Kill the lights for an hour to help the planet
It’s Saturday night and you’ve got nothing to do.
How about turning off your lights for an hour to help the planet and its birds?
Two environmental groups — the World Wildlife Fund and the American Bird Conservancy — are asking people to join a global phenomenon called “Earth Hour” and switch off all their lights from 8 to 9 p.m. Saturday.
“Turning out your lights will save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and benefit migratory birds during spring,” wrote Karen Cotton, the American Bird Conservancy’s collision campaign manager, on the group’s Web site, www.abcbirds.org.
Most birds migrate from mid-March through June. Many migratory birds fly at night and collide with large buildings and other structures because of lights, according to Cotton.
After a tremendous response to last year’s event in Sydney, Australia, sponsors of Earth Hour are trying to get people across six continents to participate this year.
On March 31 last year, 2.2 million people and 2,100 businesses in Sydney turned off lights for one hour, which reduced energy consumption by about 10 percent for one hour or the equivalent effect of taking 48,000 cars off the road for a year, the conservancy said.
Chicago will serve as the U.S. flagship city for Earth Hour this year, with Atlanta, Phoenix and San Francisco joining as leading partner cities, according to World Wildlife Fund.
What will you do when the lights are off?
That’s up to you, but sponsors suggest change out those old energy-wasting light bulbs to new, inexpensive and efficient compact fluorescents.
They say Earth Hour is also a time to consider what you and your family can do in the coming days and months to reduce emissions and live more sustainably.
Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at (402) 473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.
How about turning off your lights for an hour to help the planet and its birds?
Two environmental groups — the World Wildlife Fund and the American Bird Conservancy — are asking people to join a global phenomenon called “Earth Hour” and switch off all their lights from 8 to 9 p.m. Saturday.
“Turning out your lights will save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and benefit migratory birds during spring,” wrote Karen Cotton, the American Bird Conservancy’s collision campaign manager, on the group’s Web site, www.abcbirds.org.
Most birds migrate from mid-March through June. Many migratory birds fly at night and collide with large buildings and other structures because of lights, according to Cotton.
After a tremendous response to last year’s event in Sydney, Australia, sponsors of Earth Hour are trying to get people across six continents to participate this year.
On March 31 last year, 2.2 million people and 2,100 businesses in Sydney turned off lights for one hour, which reduced energy consumption by about 10 percent for one hour or the equivalent effect of taking 48,000 cars off the road for a year, the conservancy said.
Chicago will serve as the U.S. flagship city for Earth Hour this year, with Atlanta, Phoenix and San Francisco joining as leading partner cities, according to World Wildlife Fund.
What will you do when the lights are off?
That’s up to you, but sponsors suggest change out those old energy-wasting light bulbs to new, inexpensive and efficient compact fluorescents.
They say Earth Hour is also a time to consider what you and your family can do in the coming days and months to reduce emissions and live more sustainably.
Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at (402) 473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.
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