Dunedin to join lights-out Earth Hour observance

The Dunedin City Council has decided to play a part in observing Earth Hour 2009.

Last year, 50 million people in 28 cities around the world turned off their lights for an hour.

This year, the Dunedin council will be one of 37 around New Zealand promoting the event as the organisers attempt to get one billion people in 1000 cities involved.

A report received by the council this week from Jennifer Hooker, team leader, city marketing, said the event was designed to "raise awareness of living sustainably and . . . make people feel positive and good about their ability to change the impact their actions have on the environment".

Ms Hooker said no financial contribution was necessary and promotion could be carried out within existing budgets.

Earth Hour began in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses in Australia turned off their lights. Last year, San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge and Rome's Colosseum were among the landmarks to join the blackout.

The Earth Hour website calls on participants to turn off their lights. Ms Hooker's report suggests taking the extra step of switching off non-essential appliances.

The event will not conflict with the Highlanders' match against the Bulls, being played at 5.30pm, in Palmerston North. Earth Hour participants would, however, miss the last 30 minutes of the Crusaders v Stormers match, unless they deemed their television sets essential appliances.

The Earth Hour website also makes no suggestions about what participants might do while sitting in the dark.

However, a group representing the council, the University of Otago, the Otago Polytechnic and the Otago District Health Board met yesterday to consider ideas for events in the Octagon, which included fire-walking displays, church bell ringing and encouraging candle-lit dinners in restaurants.

The possibility of turning off the lights in the Octagon is being investigated.


Earth Hour

When: 8.30pm, Saturday, March 28, 2009.
What: Turn off lights and unnecessary appliances for one hour.
Who: One billion people.

- mark.price@odt.co.nz

 

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