Isn’t it crazy to think about how much energy the population uses in a day, or even how in the past people used to have no electricity at all? In today’s society, people are constantly charging their laptops, cell phones, watching televisions, and not to mention using energy by the lights that are constantly left on each day.
Some West Chester University students in the organization EARTH, Enviromental Association for the Repair of the Habitat, are making people more aware of the energy used, and did so by hosting Earth Hour, which was held on Saturday, March 29 between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.
The main goals of EARTH are to show the faculty and students an awareness of the environment that surrounds us and why we should protect it. The organization meets Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. outside of Sykes Student Union’s main doors.
According to EARTH’s president, Tara Speck, the organization expected many residences, businesses and schools to participate, which significantly cuts down energy use. Although EARTH is not sure how many participants they had, they have sent out notifications to all student organizations, to WCU President Madeleine Wing Adler, and they have also sent messages out through Facebook to help spread the word to students in other schools.
Last year, Earth Hour was able to reduce energy consumption by 10 percent in Sydney, Australia, which is the equivalent of taking 48,000 cars off the road for one year.
In addition to Earth Hour, EARTH hosts many other events, such as Earth Week which is from April 21 through April 25. Flyers will be floating around campus regarding this.
The EARTH organization also does Earth Day festivals, a Polar Plunge into Brandywine Creek and a Step It Up rally, all to bring awareness to the community about global warming.
They also host many West Chester Borough clean-ups amd Gordon Natural Area clean-ups. They have also sponsored speakers on the topics of garbage, energy conservation, vegetarianism and eating locally, global warming, sustainability and biodiversity.
The next time a person thinks about leaving on his/her television, think about how much energy could be conserved and think about EARTH’s initiatives. According to Speck, “Every little bit counts!”
Marcelle Bacon is a first-year student at West Chester University. She can be reached at MB650800@wcupa.edu.