Earth Hour Success 2009

UOW create a 9% reduction of energy use in 48hours.

From the week beginning 23rd March the UOW Environmental Sustainability and Initiatives (ESI) Unit began to rev up interest and ideas for Earth Hour 2009. UOW participated not only during the official Earth Hour but for the entire weekend from 28th-29th March.

Thanks to data and assistance from the Performance Indicator Project (PIP) team the ESI Unit are proud to report that UOW staff and students on the main campus reduced energy consumption by 9% during the earth hour weekend by switching off non-essential lighting and equipment.

Education and Compliance Officer for the Environmental & Sustainability Initiatives (ESI) Unit Alison Scobie said, “This is a fabulous result and would like to congratulate all staff and students who got involved and switched off for earth hour. This result demonstrates that every little bit counts and actions to save energy by staff and students do make a difference”.

She also mentioned that “If the earth hour weekend energy saving can be realised every weekend then over a year the UOW main campus could save the equivalent of 354 tonnes of Co2 emissions - which can be equated to taking 80 cars off the road for a year*”.

Around UOW people turned of lights, monitors, equipment and areas including the Library and UniCentre put extra effort into a coordinated shut-down of equipment at 5pm. The Innovation Campus, subsidiaries, tenants and other accommodation units of UOW while not yet under the energy metering system were also involved in earth hour switching off lights and equipment between 8:30pm and 9:30pm and then getting involved in some fun activities.

Campus East held an acoustic guitar session with Milo which was attended by over 100 people by torchlight. Keiraview & Kooloobong held an Easter Egg hunt in the dark and

Weerona held a courtyard picnic. International House also held a campfire for students. The Innovation Campus switched all bollard light off around the campus plus the internal lights at iC Central with reminders going out to other tenants occupying buildings requesting their participation.

The ESI Unit are encouraging staff not just to make the effort during times like Earth Hour but to continue their efforts every day.

*Burning a litre of petrol releases 2.3kg of CO₂, so a typical car with a fuel efficiency of 12 litres per 100km and driven 16,000km in a year will emit 4,416kg of CO₂ each year.

Last reviewed: 20 December, 2011