At 8 p.m. on March 29, 2007, the lights went out in Sydney, Australia.
It wasn’t a technical malfunction, and panic did not ensue in the darkness. The blackout, in fact, had been planned for weeks.
City residents had agreed to turn off their lights for one hour on that day to spread awareness about global warming and the changes it has caused our society, according to the Earthhour.org Web site.
The World Wildlife Fund, the organization that planned what has been coined “Earth Hour” said on the Web site they wanted to provide an answer to the question, “How can we inspire people to take action on climate change?”
As a result of their efforts, about 2.2 million people and 2,100 businesses turned off their lights for Earth Hour, and the world took notice.
As of Thursday night, the Web site said millions of people in nearly 200 cities around the world have agreed to participate in Earth Hour 2008, planned for March 29 at 8 p.m. local time.
Jami Pearson, a sophomore in chemistry, said she will be participating in Earth Hour.
“I’ll definitely do it,” she said. “It sounds like an easy way to make a big difference.”
Kelsey Matson, senior in business management and communication, agreed.
“Global warming is a big issue, and I think that we need to take actions like this to make people aware that it’s a real problem,” she said. “I believe everyone should do their part to help.”
But Earth Hour is not meant to last for just one. On the Web site, Earth Hour organizers write that turning off appliances and lights when they are not in use and trading old light bulbs for energy efficient bulbs will help reach the goal of reducing emissions by 5 percent this year.