Lights Out For Earth Hour
March 30, 2009 by admin
Filed under Editorials
It was reported that tens of thousands of businesses and households in Malaysia joined millions of others globally in turning off non-essential lights for a one-hour campaign aimed at raising awareness on the global climate crisis.
The campaign, Earth Hour, was initiated by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and was Malaysia’s first participation in the event since its inception in 2007. WWF senior director (support operations), Sudeep Mohandas, was reported to have said that more than five million people worldwide were expected to participate in the event.
Indian Muslim Coffee Shop using candles to mark Earth Hour
According to news reports, all 123 Starbucks outlets in Malaysia switched off their non-essential lights for the occasion. Likewise, the CSR Digest noted that fast food chain, Wendy’s, had also pledged to do the same. Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) group CEO, Datuk Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa, also was reported to have announced that the telecommunications company would switch off all non-essential lights at its Menara TM headquarters in Kuala Lumpur and offices nationwide.
Meanwhile, news reports state that the Petronas Twin Towers stopped gleaming at 8.30 pm, while a base jumper carrying the Earth Hour flag parachuted from the KL Tower to signal the start of the event. Other businesses’ premises which were seen to participate in the event included Angkasapuri, Menara TM, Menara Maybank, Istana Budaya, Bursa Malaysia, Fitness First Malaysia, YTL, Sunrise Berhad, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Menara Kuala Lumpur, Media Prima Bhd, Astro All Asia Networks plc, Honda Malaysia, HSBC Amanah Bhd, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Sheraton Subang Hotel and Kuala Lumpur Pavilion, Petronas, Hong Leong Group of Companies, Kuala Lumpur Hospital and the National Heart Institute.
Sunway-owned buildings go lights-out
Restaurants and entertainment joints around the capital also dimmed their lights while some offered candle light themed dinner and programmes for their patrons. The CSR Digest noted even some coffee shops serving food to their by candle light.
In East Malaysia, it was reported that Kuching’s major hotels supported the campaign by switching off lights in the lobby and the non-essential lights in their compounds.
WWF-Malaysia executive director, Datuk Dionysius Shama, was reported to have said that the campaign was a success and showed that Malaysians were also very concerned about environment issues. He said the public’s response toward the campaign was overwhelming even though only 500 companies and some 60,000 households had registered to support the event.
The CSR Digest took a drive through the south of the Klang Valley, namely through Puchong to Sunway and Cyber Jaya. As reported, all Sunway-owned buildings had their non-essential lights turned off. In Cyber Jaya, the CSR Digest found major outsourcing centres, such as IBM, HSBC and Ericsson with their lights off during the hour as well.
The Earth Hour, unfortunately, is not without its critics. An eco-activist, who prefers to be unnamed, recently told the CSR Digest that it was a shame that the hour was merely symbolic, and that nothing was in place to measure the difference made by shutting off the non-essential lights during that hour. “It seemed like a wasted opportunity that the benefits of energy-saving were not being measured, and that the blackout hour was merely symbolic,” she said.
However, a later news report stated that Tenaga Nasional Berhad announced that power consumption dipped by 550 megawatts during Earth Hour. This notwithstanding, another environmental activist told the CSR Digest that switching off the lights would not make as much of a difference as would switching off refrigerators or air-conditioners.
A blogger from Penang expressed the same sentiment. Lilian Chan states, “I wonder how on earth an hour without lights will make this world a better place? I am still going to hide in my aircond room, drink a cold drink from the fridge, use the PC and other things that need electricity.” Chan also questions the plans to release of hundreds of helium balloons in Penang to mark Earth Hour, an activity which will undoubtedly cause much environmental harm.
Petronas station with non-essential lights off
Furthermore, a hard-hitting letter was sent in to the Star newspaper. Markus from Petaling Jaya writes:
It is also ironic that the organiser, WWF Malaysia, up until very recently, did not even have a climate change programme to begin with when all others (even local groups and individuals) have been persistent in their pleas for Malaysians to take action.
Remember, our leaders signed the Kyoto Protocol and there has been concerted movement towards reaching solutions. Please let us all be enlightened and move away from celebrations and gimmicks.
Businesses too are not unaware of the ineffectual nature of the initiative. For example, Telekom CEO, Datuk Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa, was reported to have said that even though the event “was a symbolic gesture”, the company already has energy-conserving good practices in place as the environment is one of the major social responsibilities of the corporation.
HSBC (Cyber Jaya) during Earth Hour
However, rather than focusing on the negative, it is indeed a celebration to know that Earth Hour 2009 has succeeded in far greater measures of Malaysian education and awareness than those of preceding years.◊
