Earth Hour 2008 Update

As most of you would be aware Penrith City Council is once again throwing its support behind Earth Hour - an annual event coordinated by WWF Australia to raise awareness of climate change, while at the same time encouraging households, schools, businesses and organisations to take the practical steps that are needed to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 5% over the coming year.

Along with millions of others around the globe, Penrith City Council will "power down" for one hour on Saturday 29 March at 8pm by turning off non-essential lighting across Council owned facilities and encouraging all staff to switch off machines and unplug appliances at the power point before they leave the office.

The inaugural Earth Hour event in 2007 saw Sydney plunge into temporary darkness as more than 2 million residents turned off lights and appliances, which, as a result, helped cut energy usage by 10 percent. This year Earth Hour has grown significantly, with more than 20 cities around the world signing up and millions of people in households, communities, businesses and corporations set to take part.

Several Council facilities, as well as a number of schools, businesses and organisations across Penrith City will be participating in Earth Hour this year – most noticeably by switching off their lights for one hour on Saturday 29 March at 8pm. Currently we have 89 residents across the Local Government Area; two local schools, including Holy Cross and St Clair Public School; six local businesses, including Altank Sheet Metal, Lindsay PieMaking Equipment Pty Ltd, Holistic Healing Therapies, eSpire Solutions, Colliers International and The Candle Hut and two organisations, including Technocrats Association of Australia and UWS have signed up, not to mention 10 Council owned facilities as well. Way to go Penrith City!

If you haven’t already signed up to show the world you care and pledged your commitment to Earth Hour all you need to do is click here to be directed to the Earth Hour website where you can register your home. Let’s see if we can hit 200!

Even if you can’t switch your lights off for the one hour period you can still participate. Earth Hour is as much about making the small changes needed to reduce energy consumption as it is about switching off the lights, so why not sign up for Earth Hour and start looking for areas where you can save 5%?

As an extra incentive to get involved Penrith City Council will commit to plant a native tree or shrub on behalf of each home, business or school that signs up to participate in Earth Hour 2008. The planting will be undertaken with assistance from NRMA Insurance through their communityhelp Grants Program and the planting will be undertaken in Werrington Creek Park, Cambridge Park.

For more information on Earth Hour and how you can make a difference, go to www.earthhour.org or visit our website.