March 25, 2008 06:42 am To the editor: Join me for one hour — Earth Hour — and help save the planet. Last year, over 2 million residents and 2,100 businesses in Sydney, Australia, turned off their lights for one hour, calling it Earth Hour, and helped to reduce the city's energy consumption by 10 percent in just 60 minutes. It may not sound like much, but organizers said that the 10 percent reduction was equivalent to the carbon emissions from 48,000 cars in one year. Last year, Earth Hour was in one city; this year, it is global. From Christchurch, New Zealand, to San Francisco, California, Earth Hour will spread across 14 time zones and over 10 countries in the largest voluntary power shutdown in history. Earth Hour occurs on Saturday night, March 29, at 8 p.m. local time. For one hour, I encourage all residents and businesses to voluntarily turn off their lights and non-essential appliances. You can use flashlights, beeswax candles, battery-powered lanterns, but turn off that electricity! Help me help the planet. But it doesn't end with one hour. Remember to turn off lights when you leave a room, shut down computers and copiers and printers when you leave the office at the end of the day, and lower the temperature on your thermostats and air conditioners. To make your pledge to support Earth Hour, please visithttp://www.EarthHour.org. ARI HERZOG Newburyport
—
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.