It's Lights Out Saturday Night

Patch readers may recall a . In it, I talked about how the experience heightened my family’s appreciation of a lot of things, including the precious nature of our natural resources.

Now I’m certainly not advocating others endure such drastic measures to gain that new perspective. But this weekend provides a great opportunity for West Orange families and friends to stop for just one hour and reflect on the need to take a more active role in protecting our environment. 

Earth Hour 2012, the world’s largest voluntary environmental action, calls upon people to turn off non-essential lights between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, March 31, as a symbolic gesture of commitment to working for a cleaner, sustainable Earth.

Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia, in 2007, and by 2011 it had reached more than 1.8 billion people in 135 countries across every continent. You can find all you need to know about Earth Hour on its website, including a list of all the communities and organizations that are official sponsors, background on the evolution of Earth Hour and, most importantly, practical ideas on how to help reduce our carbon footprint.

So while families sit together in their candlelit homes, they can discuss ways to conserve, reduce and change their habits of energy use. For example, just putting in LED lighting throughout the home can significantly reduce energy consumption. Adding timer lights also conserves.

Another energy-saver is to replace old windows — perhaps not all at once — but with a multi-year program to reduce heat loss on an affordable budget. Energy audits of a home for $150 - $300 can actually end up saving homeowners a bundle by pinpointing heating and cooling air losses that can be eliminated by weather-stripping doors, filling cracks and better insulating attic areas.

Again this year, West Orange is an official sponsor of Earth Hour. During a , local officials encouraged all citizens and students to support Earth Hour 2012 as an “amazing opportunity” to unify all people to protect Planet Earth.

“West Orange occupies a singular, special place in this world as the home of Thomas Edison and his company. This area was the Silicon Valley of the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The giants of the new industries — Westinghouse, General Electric, Edison Industries, AT&T, Bell Laboratories and others — all were headquartered within a 25-mile radius of West Orange,” said Mike Brick, co-chair of the Energy Commission. “But our technological world is a two-edged sword. With great benefits to mankind also come pollution and the degradation of our environment.”

Brick said he believes Earth Hour pays homage to Edison’s invention of the electric light and the tremendous progress it wrought, and at the same time serves as a catalyst for the changes that must occur now and in our future.

Speaking of the future, West Orange Schools Superintendent Anthony Cavanna said the district devotes significant focus to educating West Orange students about environmental sustainability. For example, Washington  School has been “Green Ribbon Certified” since 2009. This year, students there are recycling vegetative trash into compost for the school garden, with plans to serve the produce they grow in the school cafeteria.

In addition, West Orange High School has a “Fight for Green” Club. Its members work to raise awareness among peers of Green initiatives and the importance of local participation. Juniors Erica Prince and Kristin Donadio explained their goals include doing away with styrofoam trays in the cafeteria and starting a recycling and composting program at the school. They also plan to be a part of Earth Hour, along with their family and friends. 

Concluding his comments at the Earth Hour Kick-Off, Brick emphasized that only through continuing education and effort will this world be maintained for the benefit of all mankind. By observing Earth Hour 2012, he said, “We allow ourselves to become introspective on what we all can accomplish when we make ourselves conscious. We all can make a difference and assist each other, on all levels, to create a cleaner sustainable Earth.”

My family will be switching off the lights on Saturday between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m.  It’s the least we can do. Hope you’ll join us — and millions of our neighbors on Planet Earth.

P.S.:  The West Orange Energy Commission welcomes concerned citizens who share the desire to be activist ecological conservators and to help the town save money and reduce pollution of all types. Check out the Energy Commission on the town website, and come to one of their monthly meetings to see how you can get involved on whatever level your time and energy allows.