GW’s Office of Sustainability is asking GW students, faculty and staff to turn off their lights on Saturday from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in honor of Earth Hour.
Organized by the World Wildlife Federation, Earth Hour began in 2007 in Sydney when 2.2 million people and more than 2,000 businesses turned off their lights for an hour to take a stand against climate change. Today, Earth Hour has become a global sustainability movement with more than 125 countries and territories participating.
This is GW’s third year participating in Earth Hour.
“While turning off campus lights for an hour is a small action, multiplied across the globe, the power of our actions can really add up,” says Casey Pierzchala, an energy and environmental analyst in the Office of Sustainability Facilities Services.
GW is asking faculty and staff to turn off the lights in their classrooms and offices before leaving on Friday. Student eco-representatives will be visiting each residence hall Saturday evening asking students to turn off their lights. Lights in the Lerner Health and Wellness Center, the Smith Center, and parts of the Marvin Center, the Mount Vernon Campus and the Virginia Science and Technology Campus will be turned off. President Steven Knapp will also be participating by turning off lights in F Street House.
“We are excited to continue to highlight GW’s commitment to sustainability through this important event that raises awareness about the importance of climate change,” says Ms. Pierzchala.
This year’s theme for the global Earth Hour is “Beyond the Hour,” which urges participants to think about sustainability beyond just the one hour event on Saturday evening.
“We encourage the entire GW community to continue to integrate conservation into their lives throughout the year,” says Ms. Pierzchala.
GW will be holding a series of events throughout April in honor of Earth Day, which falls on April 22. GW kicked off its month-long celebration earlier this week with a World Water Day symposium, which brought together water experts to discuss solutions to global water issues. Because improving water sustainability is one of GW’s top priorities, several Earth Month activities are planned to raise awareness about the importance of water conservation, improving water quality and reducing bottled water use. Some of the activities include a community service project with the Anacostia Watershed Society.