Earth Hour – 23 March 2013
UTAS will again be turning its lights off for Earth Hour on 23 March to symbolise its commitment to sustainability.
This year’s message is to ‘turn off for good’ asking people not only to switch of lights but also switch to renewable energy.
UTAS currently has 12 kW of photovoltaic (PV) renewable energy systems installed across its campuses: a 2 kW solar PV system on the Source Community Wholefoods Building, a 2 kW system on the new bike hub and 3 kW on the Engineering Building at the Sandy Bay campus, and 5 kW at Green Hill Observatory at Bisdee Tier. A further 20 kW system is proposed for installation by the Tasmanian University Union (TUU) in 2013.
UTAS staff and students are encouraged to participate in this year’s event by ensuring that all non-essential lighting at work and at home is turned off between 8.30pm and 9.30pm on Saturday 23 March 2013.
During Earth Hour 2012, an estimated seven million Australians switched off their lights to show support for a more sustainable world.
Highlighting the power of collective action, the recent UTAS Christmas holiday switch-off effort which encouraged staff to power down over the December–January holiday period saved the University $30,000 compared to business as usual.
As part of Earth Hour celebrations, the TUU will host an Earth Hour sustainable pizza night at Source Community Wholefoods, Sandy Bay on Saturday 23 March from 7.30pm.
For more information about Earth Hour, please visit earthhour.org.au.
Contact: Corey Peterson, UTAS Sustainability Manager, Commercial Services and Development Email: Corey.Peterson@utas.edu.au