Light Bulb-Cut OutAN ASHBOURNE church is encouraging townsfolk to join millions of people around the world in switching off their lights.
The World Wide Fund for Nature’s Earth Hour is a global initiative aimed at raising awareness of conserving the earth’s limited resources.
Minister Rev Tim Morris explains, “It’s a hugely important part of our faith to look after God’s creation and we want to encourage everyone, irrespective of their faith, to join us in this symbolic act. But more importantly, we encourage people to think about what they can do in the long run that will help save our planet’s scarce resources.”
The event is on Saturday, March 23 at 8.30pm and in a bid to show the town’s support for the project, church members have created an online voting button at www.ashbournemethodist.org.uk/earthhour which people can click to show they are taking part.
Methodist church member, Stuart Green, said: “The aim of Earth Hour is to get people to stop for a moment and think about how our actions affect the resources of our planet, and not just to switch off a light, but also to commit to just one simple action to contribute to conserving resources. That might be planting a tree, planning journeys more economically or remembering to switch off unnecessary appliances. In fact, this year’s focus is backing the use of renewable energy whenever possible.
“Earth Hour began with WWF in Sydney in 2007 and since then, Asian nations have been the most enthusiastic. Commitment to change has taken also place in Russia and in Uganda.
“Earth Hour 2012 reached 7001 cities and towns across 152 countries and territories,
“Landmarks that switched off included the Sydney Opera House, Great Wall Of China, Table Mountain, National Library of Belarus, Dubrovnik city walls, Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Brandenburg Gate, Tower of Pisa, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, The UK Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Times Square, Empire State Building, The UN Headquarters and more.
“Why not add your home to the list? And don’t forget to think about what action you’re going to commit to that will help to conserve resources.
“If you want to sign up personally and get yourself ‘on the map’ go to http://earthhour.wwf.org.uk/ where you can find out more about the campaign, videos and how to take part.
“But remember, the earth matters but so does your safety! Don’t switch off lights that keep you safe and if you want to support Earth Hour just by switching off one light, then why not? And don’t put your candles anywhere worrying! Saving the earth doesn’t include setting things on fire or falling over things in the dark!”
