FIU participates in Earth Hour March 28

By Karen Cochrane

Paris’ Eiffel Tower. New York City’s Empire State Building. Egypt’s Great Pyramids. Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue. FIU’s Green Library. They will all share something in common for one hour on March 28 – darkness – as individuals, cities and institutions around the world participate in Earth Hour, a global call for action on climate change.

In its first year of participation in the event, the university will also be shutting off the lights in Primera Casa, the Campus Support Complex, the Panther Garage and the Red Garage. Because emergency lights must remain on in all of the buildings, the structures will be in semi-darkness, not complete darkness. The Biscayne Bay Campus plans to turn off all exterior lights (except for emergency lights) from 8:30-9:30 p.m. for the event.

To celebrate the event and FIU’s participation in it, FIU astronomy professor James Webb will host one of his popular “Star Parties” at University Park on Saturday, March 28, from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. at the student observing pad in front of the Graham Center Ballrooms. Weather permitting, everyone is invited to join the FIU astronomers for some stargazing, guided tours through the stars, live music and refreshments.

In conjunction with the Star Party, the Students for Environmental Action (SEA) will host a scavenger hunt from 8:30-9:30 p.m. on the lawn in front of the GC Ballrooms. Additionally, SEA members will fan out across campus and turn off as many lights as they can during that time. Residential Life staff will urge students who live in the dorms to participate by turning out the lights in their rooms.

About Earth Hour

Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia, in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness. In 2009, Earth Hour is being taken to the next level, with the goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote. VOTE EARTH is a global call to action for every individual, every business and every community. The World Wildlife Fund plans on presenting these “votes” to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen later this year. For more information about the event, please visit the Earth Hour website.