The global tagline for Earth Hour 2015 is ‘Use #YourPower to Change Climate Change at earthhour.org’. Earth Hour is celebrated on March 28 2015 between 20:30 and 21:30.
Through our latest “Know your Number” campaign, 49M continues to empower consumers by enabling them to calculate their home energy consumption using a standardised measure which will allow them to categorise their energy rating against other homes, and against global benchmarks.
By knowing their number, consumers are able to establish whether their homes are good, average or bad performers in terms of their electricity usage. Furthermore, our online calculator at www.49M.co.za indicate what consumers can do immediately to reduce their home energy usage and as a result the homes energy rating. Roll your mouse over the info bar below to find out how to calculate your number:
This year four South African cities entered the global Earth Hour City Challenge 2014-15. They entered by showing the progress in projects made towards low-carbon developments. The cities are Johannesburg, Tshwane, Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and Cape Town.
These cities have collectively reported over 40 new actions on the carbon Climate Registry (cCR) during the past year.
This internationally-recognised reporting platform, managed by WWF’s project partner Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), allows participating cities to record their commitments and progress towards sustainability. These then form the basis for adjudication of cities competing for the title Global Earth Hour Capital 2015.
Projects and achievements
Some of the milestones achieved by the cities include the following:
City of Johannesburg
- Issuing of green municipal bonds to finance public transport and energy-efficient buildings.
- The first city in Africa to launch a green bond to the value of R1.5-billion on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange to fund green initiatives. This bond, which was oversubscribed by more than 150%, will be used for future programmes such as the installation of 43 000 solar heaters in households across the city.
Nelson Mandela Bay
- Award-winning, high-mast efficient lighting projects in lower-income communities.
Cape Town
- Low-carbon central city strategy which scales down emissions action to the sub-city scale.
- Cape Town was named Earth Hour Global Capital 2014 in the Earth Hour City Challenge 2013-14, the first year that South Africa participated in the competition.
Tshwane
- Purchase of 20 electric vehicles for carrying out daily local services and activities.
Johannesburg also contributed by hosting the prestigious C40 Climate Leadership Summit of megacities in 2014 where city mayor Parks Tau noted that the City is investing R110-billion in climate change initiatives over a 10-year period, starting in 2012. CoJ was selected as a finalist in this year’s challenge out of 160 cities on five continents competing. Only 44 metros were included on the final shortlist.
Read through the timeline below to find out more about the history of Earth Hour
Support the WWF’s Earth Hour event on 28 March by switching off your lights at the designated hour.
About 49M: The 49M campaign was launched in March 2011 as a response to the country’s constrained power system. The campaign encourages individuals and corporates to lead energy smart lifestyles thereby saving the planet and their pockets. South Africans are encouraged to join the campaign by visiting www.49m.co.za to pledge their support. Go to the 49M Facebook page or tweet @49m_Co_Za.
