EDITORIAL - Earth Hour must mean more

Substantial savings in power consumption were expected in Metro Cebu Saturday night when various power users, from households to big commercial establishments, joined the so-called Earth Hour in which power is switched off for an hour to show solidarity with conservation efforts.

A lot of fanfare attended the activity, with different symbolic “switch-offs” held in a variety of locations, some coming complete with entertainment and merry-making, all ironically consuming more power than usual prior to the voluntary darkness.

And that is precisely the point — whether symbolic gestures like this one, held for only one hour out of the 8,760 hours in a year, or 8,784 hours in the case of this year, 2012, which is a leap year.

The power savings generated this year, in the vicinity of 20 megawatts in Metro Cebu, does not really mean anything in the bigger power picture. What is truly needed is a sustained awareness that will lead to realistic reductions in energy consumption.

The Earth Hour, while indeed a laudable move, has to go beyond a yearly celebration if any meaningful savings are to be generated in order to save, or at least prolong, the resources of the earth.

Judging by the numbers participating in the yearly event, it is very clear that there is no lack of enthusiasm in people who are willing to help educate the world about the dangers of earth eventually running out of resources.

It is not clear, however, if the enthusiasm is there only because the event happens only once a year. The question begs to be asked as to whether the same enthusiasm will still be there is the event is made more often, like say once a month.

Unless the people behind this laudable move start going back to the drawing boards, even this once-a-year event will eventually lose its appeal. So while people are still interested, it should be taken to the next level. Only then will we see if earth truly deserves our collective hope.