Did You Switch Off Your Lights?

28th March 2009, 8.30pm, local time.

Earth Hour.

Some people say that Earth Hour is merely a publicity stint, and does not save much energy.

Well in my humble opinion, being a publicity stint is exactly the aim of Earth Hour. Many people don't put high priority in energy conservation, and a world-wide activity like this reminds everybody that Earth needs our help.

Even preschoolers now are energy conscious, thanks to Earth Hour.

Did you participate? If your answer is no, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.

Yet don't be sad. You can prove your loyalty to mother Earth by saving energy every day, not just one hour a year.

Ways of saving electricity:
1. Use the Standby function of your computer. It turns off all components, except the RAM. Turning it back on from Standby is fast compared to a fresh startup. Laptops running on battery can last for days on Standby mode.
2. If you're using CRT monitors (or televisions, ONLY the display), turn them off when you're not using them. They are easily rated at over 100 Watts of power. In comparison, an average laptop (not just the monitor) consumes only 60 watts of power.
3. Thomas Edison is smart, yet not energy conscious. Dump traditional light bulbs and get energy efficient ones. A 13W energy efficient light bulb is just as bright as a 150W traditional bulb. Lasts much longer too!
4. Turn off the lights during day time. Don't just turn on the toilet light at noon just because you're used to tapping the switch before entering the door. If you can see properly without the lights on, you don't need them.
5. Instead of using the air-conditioner, why not take a nice cool shower? If you even care to switch off the water heater, you really save a lot of energy.
6. Don't be spoiled - don't drive everywhere. If your destination is within 15 minutes' walk away, just walk! Don't complain that's far, I walk much more than that. We're young people, and we should appreciate our ability to move before it's too late. If you insist on driving, get your friends to ride along to share your carbon footprint.
7. Don't just throw aluminium cans away - make sure they are recycled. Place them next to trash cans, and there'll be people who treasure them. It takes a lot of energy to refine aluminium.

Be a friend of mine and do what I do (yes I practise all 7 points). If you have more ways of conserving energy, share with me!

If you're the type of people who think "aiya, never mind lah, electricity bill is not paid by me", then I'm sorry mother Earth gave birth to someone like you.