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Earth Hour - Your time to take action. Irish people and businesses urged to take part in the billion person Earth Hour 2010 event

16/03/10

16th March 2009: The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr. John Gormley, T.D., is urging everyone across Ireland to join with one billion people around the globe to take part in Earth Hour on Saturday 27th March at 8.30pm, by turning off the lights in their homes and businesses. This is the fourth annual Earth Hour and one billion people, in more than 1000 cities around the world are expected to take this symbolic action against climate change.  The Minister hopes people at home and businesses all around Ireland will follow suit.
 
 “At 8.30pm on March 27th, I’m hoping that people will not only turn off their lights for an hour. I hope people will make a decision to make a permanent change” said Minister Gormley. “The key message is that people can make the difference at home, at work and at play and if sufficient numbers want to change their own attitudes and behaviour and lead more environmentally sustainable lives, then the challenge of climate change can be met together as a community and as a society. Earth Hour is a symbol of the power we have to make a difference. Through one simple action, turning off our lights for one hour, we can deliver a powerful message about the need to reduce our carbon footprint and show the world that Ireland cares and wants to play its part in tackling climate change.”

John Gormley, Tony Lowes and Emer Costelloe
Earth Hour 2

Age of Stupid Screening
The Minister visited Smithfield’s Light House Cinema this afternoon with Tony Lowes, Friends of the Irish Environment, to launch Earth Hour Ireland 2010 and to present a special screening of the Age of Stupid film to an invited audience of environmental activists, students, business groups and decision makers. The film is about a man living alone in the devastated future world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and musing on how we had the knowledge and tools to transform our energy system, but chose not to, with devastating climatic consequences. 
Minister Gormley added, “we have arranged this screening, in conjunction with 10:10 Ireland to highlight that the most significant challenge facing us as a global community is that of limiting and adapting to climate change. If global warming is allowed to continue unchecked, the consequences for humanity and the environment are devastating. By participating in Earth Hour and in initiatives like 10:10 throughout the year, Irish people are demonstrating a commitment to a cleaner, healthier and less carbon expensive world, which is more self reliant in energy, food and economic security.”
 
Tony Lowes of Friends of the Irish Environment, who coordinate Earth Hour for WWF in Ireland pointed out that, “with last year’s 81 countries already now joined by 25 more, including ones as diverse as Nepal, Saudi Arabia, and Mongolia, Earth Hour 2010 is anticipated to be one of the greatest civil actions the world has ever witnessed. After the disappointment of the Copenhagen Climate Change meeting, Earth Hour is a powerful way to send a message to our governments too powerful for them to ignore.” He encouraged people and businesses to go to www.1010.ie and www.change.ie to get some practical tips on how they can reduce their carbon footprint throughout the year.

John Gormley, Tony Lowes and Neville Foster of Solus
Earth Hour 1

Iconic buildings across Ireland will again turn their lights off during Earth Hour.
In Dublin, public buildings including Government buildings, Leinster House, the Custom House, and the Four Courts will be turning off their lights for Earth Hour.

Countrywide, The Rock of Cashel, the most visited heritage site in Ireland will be plunged into darkness for Earth Hour, as will Cahir Castle, Ormonde Castle, Carrick on Suir, Donegal Castle and Trim Castle in Co. Meath, the largest Anglo Norman castle in Ireland.  They will be joined in this “lights out” event by monuments and icons across the world including the Empire State Building, Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House, London Eye, Brandenburg Gate, Tokyo Tower, Table Mountain, CN Tower, Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro and the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Earth Hour started in Sydney in 2007 when 2.2 million people and businesses switched off the lights in homes and businesses for an hour.  In 2009 one billion people in 81 countries participated, including Ireland.

Last year, analysis by Ireland’s Transmission System Operator, EirGrid, indicated a reduction of electricity use in Ireland of 70 megawatts (MW) during the Earth Hour initiative, with one megawatt equalling the usage of 10,000 old style light bulbs or 50,000 energy efficient CFL lights bulbs. This reduction was approximately two per cent of demand. The reduction in electricity use during Earth Hour 2009 was 40 percent higher than Earth Hour 2008.  It is estimated that 30 tonnes of CO2 emissions were avoided due to the reduction that evening and that 500,000 people in 135,000 homes in Ireland took part in Earth Hour 2009. 

ENDS

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