For many, turning the lights off has never been a big deal, but on March 29, millions sat together in darkness for one hour to help raise awareness on climate change.
"It is crucial that people participate in making their lives more green," Manager of Public Relations for the World Wildlife Fund Dan Forman said. "It's the first step in raising awareness."
Earth Hour was created by the WWF in Sydney, Australia, in 2007.
However, the evening was unheard of for many students at the University of Massachusetts .
Freshman Angela Halliday, who believes that raising awareness about the environment is important, was unaware both of what Earth Hour is, and when it took place.
"I think they should find more effective ways to notify people and make the public more aware of how something as simple as turning off your lights for one hour will make a change," she said. "Facebook, MySpace and TV are good ways to reach the student body."
Even with the large number of participants, Earth Hour will not have a long-term effect on climate change. It may put it on people's radar, but there is more that needs to be done.
On WWF's Web site, it states that the United States is the world's single largest contributor to global warming, with average annual emissions of 19.6 tons per person, nearly five times the world average of 3.9 tons per person.
They provide simple ways to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions we create, ranging from recycling, which saves 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, to replacing ones incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent, which last up to 10 times longer and saves 300 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.
The Web site also states that climate change will not only bring rising temperatures, but also the rise of seal level, glacier decline, spread of disease, shifts in the timing of seasons, changes in freshwater supply, and increases in hurricane intensity, droughts, flooding and in extreme weather events.
WWF is a leader in the field of climate science and is working to stop climate change by providing progressive work and information in science, advocating policies to reduce carbon emissions and assembling businesses to support new and innovative solutions.
The United States got involved with Earth Hour late last year, creating its first flagship city in Chicago.
Flagship cities work with the local government to make the city go dark from 8-9 p.m. each year. Along with Chicago, the cities of Atlanta, Phoenix and San Francisco are working with the WWF in the United States.
There are 35 flagship cities around the world, and over 400 other cities that participate as well.
The mission of Earth Hour is to put climate change on the radar for all politicians and corporations to address the issue on climate change now.
Jessica Sacco can be reached at jsacco@student.umass.edu.
Be the first to comment on this article!