Paphos People

Give the planet a break
By Jean Christou

THE GREEN Party is calling on all Cypriots to take part in a global blackout for one hour on Saturday night between 8 and 9pm to give the planet a rest.

In its second year, “Earth Hour” where everyone turns out their lights and switches off unnecessary electrical equipment, is garnering increasing support from major cities and even big business around the globe.

Earth Hour originated in Sydney last year when 2.2 million residents and over 2,100 businesses switched off, leading to a 10.2 per cent energy reduction across the city. Organisers said that the 10 per cent reduction was equivalent to the carbon emissions from 48,000 cars in one year.

What began as one city taking a stand against global warming caught the attention of the world, and this year 24 cities across the world will take part, including Dubai, Bangkok, Dublin, Tel Aviv and San Francisco.

Along with the cities spanning 14 time zones, over 12,000 global businesses had signed up as of yesterday in what organisers are calling “the largest voluntary power shutdown in history”.

According to the Green Party, which has taken on the mantle of Earth Hour in Cyprus, the Presidential Palace, the House of Representatives, government and municipal buildings, semi government offices and monuments will plunge into darkness for one hour
“We call everyone to participate in this event,” said Green Party spokeswoman Ioanna Panayiotou. “The participation of all of us is important, as are a few simple rules that we can follow daily to change our energy habits.”

This, she said, was one of the two aims of the event. One was to give the planet a break and the other to raise awareness of unconscious habits such as leaving electrical appliances running non stop.

The party advises shutting off all electrical appliances at the wall, using energy saving bulbs and appliances and to “cook intelligently” by using closed pots and not opening the oven door every five minutes.

Every time an oven door is opened during cooking, it loses 20 per cent of its heat. Laptops use 93 per cent less energy than desktops, according to Green Party, and lowering the temperature on a washing machine can save 30-50 per cent energy per cycle.

Leaving on phone rechargers after removing the phone is another bad habit, and using ceiling fans in summer instead of air conditioners can stop 600-700 kilos of greenhouse emissions entering the atmosphere in only 30 days.

Cypriots should also stop using their cars for short distances, while buying local food would reduce emissions from the transport of imported goods.

“All these small steps, when they are consciously carried out by a lot of people, can result in impressive cuts in energy,” said Panayiotou.

n For more information on Earth Hour visit http://www.earthhour.org







Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2008

Been told it will be done where i work hah hah not so easy as generators kick in if power cut also computers running or video link etc.I can see someone head office wrote his idea down and thought yep we can do that on back of fag packet

oops should of gone in news section

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Hope it is a clear night. The stars would be amazing.

Who is going to let the locals in on the secret then?

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A timely initiative, with the likes of this going on:

What a stupid idea!

Either politicians do not believe there is a climate issue, or making people feel guilty about using power is a cynical ruse to stop them having to make unpopular decisions. So far all any governments appear to have considered is that green issues are a way to tax ever more heavily without the public complaining. There is simply no joined up thinking.

In any case while mans activity on the planet has undoubtedly contributed to change, the planet is still coming out of the last ice age so it is inevitable that it will get warmer. Over its history it has been much hotter and much colder than it is at present and will be so many times again. The planet will be here long after we have wiped ourselves out (or have been wiped out by catastrophe not of our making).

The world's human population is growing at a speed that is unsustainable. The world economy runs on oil, so while there is still oil to burn, that's what will happen to it. When it runs out we will have to give up eating so that the land can be used to grow oil crops instead of food.

Taxation is used to force cars out of the cities, to remote shopping centres which ship in food from all over the world while local producers are forced out of business by supermarket greed. We cannot stop building airports to fly people and goods unnecessarily around the world, and they call upon me to sit in the dark for an hour on a Saturday evening? Don't make me laugh!

Not even if the stars would look amazing, Graham.

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Verity.

Be who you are, and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.

http://coecyp.blogspot.com

So we should all just do nothing because it won't make a difference anyway?

If it was possible to do some good by responding to a silly gimmick, then I would applaud the idea. There are fundamental problems that need to be addressed and this isn't beginning to address them. It needs world leaders to start leading; instead of thinking only of themselves, in the sure knowledge that their place in power is but an instant in the wider scheme of things. The public is being made to feel guilty for something it has no control over and which has been deliberate policy.

A far more worthy gesture would be to get governments to invest heavily in photovoltaic technology. In large areas of the earth electricity could be generated from the sun. Here in Cyprus we could all produce our own electricity and remove reliance on oil, if the cost was viable and with the level of mass production needed to achieve it, the cost of the cells could be decimated - but that would affect the world's reliance on oil, and in particular America's dominant position in the world, so it isn't going to happen any time soon.

South America is cutting down the rain forest, to grow oil crops on land that will only last for a couple of years before it turns to desert and so the cycle goes on. Trees are a major factor in absorbing the carbon emissions that we continue to produce. So we (as a population of the planet) are replacing a means to reduce the carbon with a means to create it. It is madness.

KG.

I agree with much of what KG says - I feel very strongly about these issues.

Whilst it makes economic sense to conserve energy (I do it to save money each quarter on the fuel bills), the way we are all made to feel guilty about energy usage is just not acceptable. It's one thing turning off the power for an hour, but how many of us would volunteer to live without electricity for any length of time, and it's not that long since people had no choice.

Did you know that the total carbon emissions produced by humans on this planet is just 1%? 1%! The greatest quantity comes from the oceans, followed by animals, then rotting vegetation etc.

As for climate change, it follows a pattern, and like KG says this planet will be here long after all of us!

The whole energy saving/climate change/global warming bandwagon is just "jobs for the boys", whether it be politicians or scientists, and now that the US is on board they will expect every single country to conform - and if they don't? Well it just may the reason for another world war!

We have recently paid £400 for a Home Information Pack for selling our house. A prime example of 'jobs for the boys'. It now has an 'Energy Efficiency Rating' similar to those you see on electrical appliances, and an 'Environmetal Impact (CO2) Rating'. The guy who came to do the assessment was a plumber by trade, not a bad wee earner eh?

I asked him if he would give us a good CO2 rating, as I have two compost bins in the garden

Pam

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