The curtain went up on Earth Hour 2011 at Lincoln University last night, and the lights go down throughout New Zealand on Saturday night.
The occasion was an Earth Hour “Hot Energy” debate with well-known broadcaster Kim Hill chairing two panels of speakers addressing the topic “Green Growth or Gas Guzzlers - is there a future without energy growth?”
Panel members were former Finance Minister Ruth Richardson, Lincoln University’s Professor of Trade and Environmental Economics Caroline Saunders, University of Canterbury Senior Lecturer in Economics Dr Eric Crampton, bio-entrepreneur Dr Graeme Coles, and Principal Scientist in Sustainability and Society at Landcare Research Dr Bob Frame.
A capacity audience filled the Lincoln University campus venue for the event which was presented jointly by Landcare Research, Selwyn Environment Group, Lincoln Envirotown Trust, and Lincoln University.
Twenty events have been organised locally in Selwyn to mark Earth Hour 2011 which takes place between 8.30 and 9.30pm this Saturday night, 26 March. The “Hot Energy” debate was one of the first activities on the programme.
Earth Hour is a global event founded in 2007 and organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The aim is to have households and businesses turn off non-essential lights and other electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness of the need for action on climate change.
For the audience of over 200 the “Hot Energy” debate delivered a mix of entertainment and information. Kim Hill was delighted with the strong turnout for the event and the level of audience interaction and participation.
While discussion often strayed from the theme, it all added up to a constructive early contribution to this year’s Earth Hour programme.