Earth Hour
Earth Hour is a global event to heighten awareness of climate change and inspire everyone to reduce their carbon footprint. This year's Earth Hour was on Saturday, March 28 2009 from 8:30pm-9:30pm. During Earth Hour, households, businesses government organizations, and entire towns turned off non-essential lights and electrical appliances for one hour. See EarthHour.org and Earth Hour U.S.A. The World Wildlife Foundation offers a sincere Thank You for Participating in Earth Hour.
Contribute Your Earth Hour Ideas
Tell us how you celebrated Earth Hour. Share your ideas for family-friendly activities without electricity! Click the ADD YOUR IDEA button, type your comment, and we'll post it on this page.
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Effectively unplug your TV, DVR, DVD player, etc EVERY DAY when you are finished using it (not just for Earth Hour)! Get an RF-switched plug (for about $10) to turn off the entire TV power strip with a button.
-- Bernie
March 28, 2009 10:20 AM |
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Spend the hour installing a programmable thermostat. I replaced 3 in less than an hour. They are inexpensive and easy to install. We reduced our heating bill by 40%. We never have to worry about leaving the heat on when we leave for work! Be careful if you have electric heat because it can be dangerous. Call the electric company they may come and do it for free! If you have central A/C you will save on that as well.
-- Craig
February 25, 2009 10:57 PM |
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Go out to a friend's house. Unplug your unnecessary electric equipment (such as the DVR, TV, Laptop charger, phone charger, etc.) Just leaving your house will use less electricity (its like carpooling but for houses)
-- Jessie
February 25, 2009 8:51 PM |
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Purchase switchable power-strips to turn off energy wasting appliances when not in use!
-- Tom
February 22, 2009 8:59 PM |
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Turn off your DVR set
-- Clara
February 22, 2009 4:17 PM |
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Many things in your house, like your television set, use trickle current so they can turn on quickly. You should do more than turn them off during Earth Hour--you should unplug them.
-- Mark
February 18, 2009 9:35 PM |
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Before Earth Hour, check out the PIP pages and also
http://panda.org/how_you_can_help/greenliving/
on how to make simple changes to reduce your carbon footprint. During Earth Hour, discuss these with your family and make plans on how to take action in the coming year!
-- Bernie
February 10, 2009 5:39 PM |
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Print out our family audit worksheet before Earth Hour, and then spend the hour filling it out with your family. After Earth Hour, go to the Berkeley CoolClimate calculator, put in the data you've accumulated, and find out how your carbon footprint compares with other citizens of the US and also the world average!
-- Bernie
February 10, 2009 5:36 PM |
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Take a walk outside by moonlight. Tell ghost stories.
-- Franny
February 4, 2009 9:53 PM |
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Read a favorite book or story by candlelight :) .
-- Karen
January 31, 2009 10:53 PM |
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Star-gazing with your neighbors--no light pollution!
-- Kate
January 31, 2009 9:39 PM |
Earth Hour Contest Winners
Congratulations on winning a miniprize for A-B Earth Hour, and thank you for sharing your eco-friendly Earth Hour activities and ideas! — The A-B Earth Hour Team.
We will send your prizes via A-B Express if you are an A-B student, or we will contact you through Facebook. Great job!
Coco G,
Grant S,
Molly G,
Jenn K,
Jenna G,
Kali H,
Erin R,
Chris B,
Anne S,
Jess E,
Rosa H,
Caroline R,
Megan H,
Jessica H,
Susan M,
Steven F,
Sam K,
Andrew K,
Dana F,
Craig L,
Aditya J,
Lauren O,
Jessie W.
Earth Hour Contest Ideas
Shut off unnecessary lights.
Unplug cellphone chargers.
Do a Family Energy Audit.
Unplug printers and laptops.
Encourage family & friends to participate.
Share Earth Hour ideas on Facebook.
Turn down the heat and use extra blankets.
Dry laundry by hanging it on the balcony.
Turn the TV off.
Easy Earth Hour Tips
Use a reusable water bottle.
Bring a reusable bag when shopping.
Take shorter showers.
Install a low-flow showerhead.
Carpool and reduce car trips.
Use an LED flashlight.
Earth Hour Fun
Play Flashlight Tag
Have a Candlelight Dinner
Hike using Glow Sticks
Play Board Games by Candlelight
Tell Camp Fire Stories
Play Guessing Games
Look at the Stars
Tell Jokes
Play Hide and Seek with Flashlights
A-B Earth Hour Sponsors
Acton-Boxborough PIP would like to thank our local Earth Hour sponsors.
Energy Savings
Earth Hour is also a STEM educational opportunity for exploring energy consumption and savings. How much electricity can you save by turning the lights out for one hour? How about two? As part of the A-B Earth Hour event, we will calculate our consumption and estimate our savings.