The Property Council of Australia, as a proud supporter of Earth Hour, is encouraging all building owners, managers and tenants to turn off their lights for one hour, at 8 pm on Saturday, March 29, in a show of solidarity against climate change.
In the first Earth Hour held in 2007, over 2.2 million Sydneysiders turned their lights off for 60 minutes as a demonstration of the need to combat climate change. The property industry was a strong supporter of the event with almost all Sydney CBD buildings switching their lights off. This year, Canberra is joining in Earth Hour 2008.
“Climate change is no longer a matter for debate, and we can all make a contribution to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Buildings account for 23 percent of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. Working together we can significantly reduce electricity use and help cut Australia's carbon footprint. That's why the Property Council supports Earth Hour's call to action and urges our members to participate fully,” said Property Council ACT Executive Director, Catherine Carter.
“Greening our commercial buildings can halve electricity use in commercial property by 2030 and reduce it by 70 percent by 2050. And aside from reducing running costs it could also cut Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent within two decades. It is easily the quickest way to achieve deep emissions cuts and would add $38 billion each year to GDP compared to alternative ways of reducing energy use in Australia,” Ms Carter said.
Before turning off the lights for one hour, the Property Council suggests there are lots of things everyone can do to make Earth Hour 2008 a success:
Register your involvement at www.earthhour.org and commit to turning off your building’s non-essential lights for one hour at 8 pm on Saturday 29 March.
Tell a friend. Better still, tell all your friends, and your family and your workmates. Just email them with a link to the Earth Hour website.
Advertise. If you’re registered as a business, don’t be afraid to advertise your support for Earth Hour.
Building owners and managers should liaise with tenants to plan how all non-essential lights can be turned off on the night. Things to consider include security and safety of the building and tenants, and rescheduling cleaning and maintenance.
“The property sector has been a leader and early innovator in greenhouse emission reduction. Let’s now all work together as a community in a concerted effort to green the nation’s built environment starting with full participation in Earth Hour,” Ms Carter said.
For further information contact: Catherine Carter, Executive Director, 02 6248 6902 or 0412 330 079
