Earth Hour Success

UNSW saved more than 2.4 percent of Sydney's total energy reductions during last Saturday's Earth Hour.

UNSW cut more than half a tonne of CO2 emissions during the hour, or 2.4 percent of Sydney's overall energy saving of 25 tonnes of CO2.

According to Paul Osmond, head of the UNSW Environment Unit, the University's reduction was the equivalent of taking 1,150 cars off the road or turning off 4,800 televisions for one hour.

"We reduced energy usage by nine percent, compared to what we would usually use between 7.30 and 8.30pm on a normal Saturday night," said Mr Osmond.

The University switched off lights that weren't required for safety and security reasons, as well as significantly cutting its air-conditioning load.

UNSW was also the venue for a public Earth Hour presentation on Monday 2 April by Randwick Council. Members of the public heard the experiences of Earth Hour Ambassador, Sarah Bishop, who walked from Brisbane to Sydney to raise awareness for the Sydney Earth Hour. Peter Garrett, the federal member for Kingsford Smith, and Jon Dee, Planet Ark founder, also spoke about combating climate change.