Earth Hour: Let us find ways to conserve energy in Joburg this March and help save the environment
JOBURG – Earth Hour is almost upon us. Here is what you can do in honour of this day.
The Glass Recycling Company encouraged community members to conserve energy and become part of the worldwide movement on 25 March by switching off their lights between 8.30pm and 9.30pm to make a positive impact on the environment.
Earth Hour is a movement for the planet organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
The event is held annually and encourages individuals, communities, households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour as a symbol of commitment to the planet.
Shabeer Jhetam, from The Glass Recycling Company, said it was originally started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007 and since then has grown to include thousands of cities and towns worldwide.
“Earth Hour now engages a massive mainstream community and encourages communities to make positive changes for the environment,’ Jhetam said.
Parents are encouraged to teach their children and family members about the environmental facts behind Earth Hour and why the world commits to doing this every year. “Take time to discuss the ways your family can make small changes which impact our environment, such as recycling your glass packaging.
Read: Earth Hour explained
“However, be safe during Earth Hour and when you light your candles, place them in glass jars so they don’t cause a fire. By putting your lit candles in beautiful glass jars, your Earth Hour will be beautiful too.”
He said community members could spend some quality time with their loved ones during this hour and play board games, or use this opportunity to have a romantic date night with a dinner by candlelight.
After Earth Hour has finished and you have blown out all your candles, Jhetam said to be sure to recycle the glass jars used for the candles, as well as all any other glass bottles.
By doing, this Jhetam said, individuals would conserve even more energy.
“By recycling just one bottle, you’ll save enough energy to operate a computer for 20 minutes and by recycling one bottle per day, for a whole year, you will save enough energy to run a computer for nearly 18 hours,” said Jhetam.
The recycling company is committed to proving that glass recycling is worth the effort, he concluded.
What are you going to do for Earth Hour? Tell us on the North Eastern Tribune Facebook page.
