Earth Hour 2010

Written by Sabrina Deparine

Thursday, 18 March 2010 11:34

Last Updated on Thursday, 18 March 2010 11:51

Page views: 83

On March 27, 2010 at exactly 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., around 15 million Filipinos are expected to turn off their lights in support of the Earth Hour. The Earth Hour is an advocacy that supports the long-term survival of our planet.
The advocacy is likely very timely as various parts of the country are now experiencing scheduled brownout or power outage. As the summer season approaches, El Niño has gone worse compared to previous years. Several farms, aquifers and water reservoirs have already dried up. These are just concrete proofs of the possible perils of global warming. As such, Yeb Saño , Earth Hour Philippines National Director and Program Director for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF Philippines), is calling all Filipinos to unite for the Earth Hour as indication of our support for best energy practices and for more responsible lifestyles.

The Earth Hour is currently the largest social mobilization event that combats the adverse effects of global warming and climate change. Earth Hour 2010

For 60 minutes or 1 hour on March 27, regardless of time zone and boundaries, around one billion people will turn off their lights. It is not confined to individual efforts. In fact, the Earth Hour is supported by numerous corporations, institutions and communities.

Last year, the Philippines ranked first among 88 countries that participated in the event. More than ten million Filipinos from 647 cities and municipalities nationwide have participated in the event. The 60 minutes of darkness resulted to a savings of 611 megawatt-hours worth of electricity. This translates to about PHP 3 million.

As mentioned, the target for this year is 15 million participants which can lead to a savings of 811 megawatts per hour electricity. This is equivalent to between PHP 5 and 6 million monetary savings. But, of course, the Earth Hour is not just about electricity and monetary savings. It’s all about saving the Planet Earth.