Turn off the light and connect the planet

“Ask not what your planet can do for you, ask what you can do for your planet.” We allow ourselves the license to modify the famous quote from John Fitzgerald Kennedy for a good reason and confident that he would agree with us. This Saturday March 24th, from 20.30 to 21.30, Earth Hour will take place. You've probably ever seen, almost always at the end of the newscast, those images of completely dark famous monuments and kilometric avenues, but perhaps you are not really sure about what’s the point of this symbolic blackout or in which way it can help saving the planet, so let’s shed light upon these dark sixty minutes.

The first edition of Earth Hour took place in Sydney in 2007, though the idea was born three years earlier when the nature conservation group WWF wanted to involve the Australians into the climate change problem. For this purpose, they asked advertising agency Leo Burnett to devise a campaign. And they sure did. On March 31th, 2007, with the support of local government, the most populous city in Australia went dark for an hour, creating such a visual impact that in subsequent editions around twenty buildings and monuments throughout the world joined the enterprise: the Empire State, the Golden Gate, the roman Coliseum, London’s City Hall, Petronas Towers… The seed was sown. Ever since, most public buildings interrupt their lighting for sixty minutes, and there are also many private companies who assist the event by turning off their neon signs.

Although the lowering consumption is remarkable during that time, the goal of Earth Hour is not this symbolic and punctual saving but raising public awareness of the devastating impact that overconsumption of energy has on climate change. And how can we help reduce this expense? It's easier than it looks, and also good for our pocket. We can save the planet from the comfort of our home by following these energy saving and efficiency tips. The most important keys are responsible consumption of heating and air conditioning, the correct use of appliances, a suitable choice of the contracted capacity and type of lighting and good thermal insulation, among others.

We also switch off

More than ten thousand cities will take part in this edition and we in ACCIONA will also do our bit by turning off our most representative buildings' illuminated signs. Besides, we have encouraged our employees to to endorse this initiative and promote it on Twitter with the hashtag #EarthHour. We encourage you to join the #EarthHour by switching off the light from 20:30 to 21:30h and share it in your social networks.

Source: Earth Hour.