The following is a guest post by Sangeeta Ahuja, First Secretary Energy, Environment & Resource Security at the British Embassy in Washington.
This year promises to be even more dramatic. Major landmarks like Big Ben and Buckingham Palace in London will go dark for an hour. The British Embassy in Washington is doing our part, making an extra effort to switch off lights and turn off office equipment for the weekend. As British Prime Minister David Cameron said last year “that’s what Earth Hour is all about – millions of people all over the world coming together to switch off their lights, tackle climate change and protect our natural world.”
“Going beyond the hour” is the next step. The world football governing body FIFA is switching off lights for a whole day. Ysgol Evan James primary school in Pontypridd, Wales will be encouraging pupils to plant and harvest their own fruit and vegetables in the school’s dedicated nature garden during the summer months – and has won the 2012 World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour Community Competition.
There is much more that can be done, by individuals, by businesses, and by governments. The UK government is intent on reducing energy demand through more energy efficiency, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As the UK Office for National Statistics announced this week – UK household spending on energy consumption increased 23.5 percent from £28.8 billion in 2007 to £35.6 billion in 2011. Any savings made will benefit pockets as well as the environment.