In Come tomorrow, millions of people around the globe will join together and switch off the lights and systems for an hour in a show of support for environmental action. The idea is not only to show support for the environment but also be counted. The time designated for the Earth Hour is from 8.30-9.30 pm. Earth Hour 2011 asks people and organisations to use the hour as a time to make a renewed commitment to take action for the planet beyond the hour.
Actions that have already been shared by organisations on the platform include: increasing recycling programmes; promoting walking and cycling; planting trees in the local area; replacing all light globes with LED globes; restaurants opting to purchase only seasonal fruit and vegetables and aiming to compost 100% of food waste; switching off the power in the office at lunch time; providing employees with LED light globes; ensuring all lights and computers are switched off every evening, and holding an Earth Hour once a month.
Earth Hour began in one city, in one country, on Saturday 31 March 2007, when 2.2 million individuals in Sydney, Australia, turned off their lights for one hour to stand up for action on climate change. Last year, hundreds of millions of people in 128 countries and territories and over 4,600 cities across the world participated in Earth Hour.
The movement has also spread in India, with many companies and organisations participating in the same. For instance, last year, Infosys Technologies observed Earth Hour on March 27, 2010, by switching off lights for one hour across nine DCs in India Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mangalore, Mysore, Pune and Trivandrum and saved nearly 3 Mega Watt of electrical equipment load. This amount of electricity is sufficient to light up 1,000 households for one hour at connected load of 3KW per house.
To take part in Earth Hour 2011, here are a few simple steps that you can take:
>> Switch of the AC, open the windows
>> Unplug appliances
>> Unplug chargers
>> Shut down comps, televisions, etc
>> Switch of lights
>> Power off, unused servers, printers, etc.
To show your solidarity for the same, put in a green strategy and roadmap for your enterprise. Remember green is a journey, not a destination.
Green Speak: CIOs share their views on Earth Hour:-
Deepakumar KG, Head IT, Quest Retail - The Body Shop, India:-
Replace just one 100W Incandescent lamp with a 20W Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) and Reduce annual CO2 emissions by 84kgs on every replacement.
T.G Dhandapani, CIO, TVS Motor:-
My family has decided to switch off all lights, visit the beach and spend time together. It's a good opportunity to get away from the TV, my Blackberry, Facebook, linkedin ....... Pity that Earth hour comes once a year and not monthly.
S.P Arya, Vice President Corporate (IT), Amtek Group:-
I think, Earth Hour must not be limited to just one hour of switching off lights on a single day in a year only. It must now be taken a step or two ahead, e.g. sharing a car or using public transport once in a month, and celebrating Earth Hour each month. Also, the masses should be taught to switch off lights when not in use and not to use vehicles when they have to go somewhere nearby.
Navtej Matharu, CIO, Serco BPO:-
We actually plan to power down all our data centers, expect the one catering to our international business.
Anwer Bagdadi, CIO & Executive Director, Paraphora BIV Pvt Ltd:-
Like many of my fellow professionals and concerned citizens, I would be observing Earth hour and do my best towards saving energy.
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