Since 2007, people and communities have been turning off the lights for Earth Hour, a symbolic global gesture celebrating a commitment to protecting the planet. Around the globe individual homes, cities and iconic structures including the Eiffel Tower and Buckingham Palace will go dark for one hour on the last Saturday in March. This year for the first time WKU will participate in Earth Hour on Saturday (March 23) from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
WKU’s Earth Hour events on March 23 will mark the beginning of “Bluegrass Unplugged” as part of the Campus Conservation Nationals. Learn more at http://www.wku.edu/sustainability/unplugged.php
Safety and necessary lighting will stay on, but some special icons on the Hill will go dark for the hour including Cherry Hall façade, Gary Ransdell Hall façade, Pearce-Ford Tower 27th floor, Guthrie Bell Tower, President’s House and the WKU entrance sign on Cemetery Road.
As part of Earth Hour, WKU PowerSave Campus interns will be hosting an energy-efficiency and conservation themed scavenger hunt. The activity is on WKU’s main campus and is open to all WKU students – especially those living in residence halls.
The event will mark the beginning of Campus Conservation Nationals, a nationwide electricity and water use reduction competition among colleges and universities. WKU residence hall students will compete with UK, U of L and Berea in a local challenge called “Bluegrass Unplugged.”
WKU’s participation in Earth Hour is not limited to March 23. WKU students and organizations will participate in the Earth Hour “I Will If You Will” campaign. The general idea of the campaign is that an individual commits to doing something if they see action taken by other people on behalf of the environment. For instance, someone could promise to ride their bike to work for a month if 200 people commit to turn their lights out for the Earth Hour event. Some people have offered their business’s service for free or committed to doing something wacky with their appearance if a certain number of people promise to change their behavior for the sake of the environment. The possibilities of commitments are endless, leaving a lot of room for creativity for those participating. Explore “I Will If You Will” commitments on the Earth Hour YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/earthhour.
“The PowerSave interns have posted their commitment and hope students become inspired enough to make their own commitments to help WKU reach its energy saving goals this competition season,” said Mary Newton, WKU PowerSave Intern for the Office of Sustainability.
WKU GreenToppers, Americans for an Informed Democracy (AID) and even Big Red have joined the campaign. For information on Earth Hour and the Campus Conservation Nationals, visit http://www.wku.edu/sustainability/unplugged.php
Contact: Christian Ryan-Downing, (270) 745-2508.
