Students told to switch off and support Earth Hour

BY PERFORMING the simple act of turning off the lights for one hour on one night, Brunei will play its part and join others throughout the world in ensuring a sustainable future and taking a stand against global warming.

In spreading this message to Brunei students, the Energy Division under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in collaboration with the Science, Technology and Environment Partnership (Step) Centre organised an informative briefing on energy consumption yesterday at the Civil Service Institute with Brunei's Earth Hour representatives.

During the briefing, the representatives delivered a presentation on the principles of Earth Hour to students from various schools including Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Science College (Maktab Sains) and Chung Hwa Middle School.

The presentation explained and identified the causes for carbon emissions, touched upon the dangers of imbalance and gave brief examples on how to help on an individual level.

The aim of the briefing was to disseminate information about Earth Hour and to spread awareness on the importance of energy saving and sustainability to students.

This falls in line with efforts to reduce energy consumption in the country, which currently consumes electricity similar to that of a country with a population of one million, according to statistics from the Electrical Services Department.

Brunei has observed Earth Hour since 2008 through individuals at home and by organisations such as The Empire Hotel & Country Club and Sheraton Hotel.

However, only by mid-February 2010 did Brunei become an official participant of Earth Hour Global.

"I think it's an excellent idea, and I hope many people in Brunei join in," said an attendee of the briefing who wished to remain unnamed.

"I don't know what to expect, I feel it will turn out okay but there is always room for more participation," added the attendee.

Another individual who attended the briefing said that Earth Hour is a good initiative and a symbolic act in the fight against global warming.

"I think Brunei's participation wouldn't satisfy the (Earth Hour) enthusiasts because we love our electricity here, but that is no excuse," he added.

One of Brunei's representative of Earth Hour, Zaim Ismail, said that they were pleased with the outcome of the briefing as they did not expect such a good response from the schools.

He added that this is hopefully a good indication of things to come, in terms of raising awareness among the people regarding Earth Hour and the fight against climate change.

Zaim further said that he hopes relevant government departments, organisations and individuals will support the mass event and pledge their support for the planet.

Illustrating the success of the green initiative, a statement from Brunei's Earth Hour representatives stated that registrations, polling and energy reduction levels indicate that hundreds of millions of people voted for Earth by switching off their lights in 4,159 cities across 88 countries, including 73 nation capitals and nine of the world's 10 most populated cities.

Earth Hour first began in Sydney, Australia on 2007 where more than 2.2 million households and businesses turned off their lights for one hour.

By encouraging entire cities to perform this simple act, a powerful message is delivered to the world about the need to address climate change.

The Brunei Times