Beyond the Hour

The Countdown to Earth Hour 2014

Below you'll find out countdown timer to Earth Hour 2014. It's important we all do our part and participate in Earth Hour to help ensure a stable future for our planet. Be sure to come back and visit us periodically here on Beyond the Hour to check to ensure that you're on schedule for Earth Hour.

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What is Earth Hour

Earth Hour is an annual event that is held in March of each year. The event is held on the last Saturday of the month and was designed to increase awareness of the problems of global warming. Those participating in Earth Hour will shut off all lights and unused appliances and electronics in the attempt to show their support of the efforts to solve the problems related to global warming. Earth Hour was first inspired by a demonstration that took place in 2007 in Australia, where more than 2 million residents of Sydney switched off their lights and appliances that were non-essential. The goal was to use that one hour of time to make a statement about the coal fired electricity industry adding to the global warming problems. That first Earth Hour was such a success, saving more than 10% of the energy consumption in Sydney, that cities around the world have adopted Earth Hour and millions of people take part in the event each year to conserve electricity and fight the battle against global warming.

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Why Should I Care About Earth Hour

On average, more than 120 countries all around the world take part in Earth Hour every year. Many people will wonder why they should card about this event. After learning what the event stands for, you will quickly see why turning off the lights for this short hour can make such a powerful statement and prove that the use of non-essential electricity can in fact be reduced drastically, leading to the solution of the global warming problem. The reason that Earth Hour is so important is because it is an opportunity for people around the world to unite and offer a gesture that shows a support for action against climate changes that are occurring as a result of electricity overuse. If you have concerns about the climate changes that have taken place recently, you should become involved in this great cause and forego the use of any electronic devices during the one hour period. Just a short amount of time without overuse can drastically cut down on the effects of global warming and if people are able to make small changes in their daily lives and reduce the amount of consumed electricity and energy on a daily basis, we would be able to make a huge change in the effects of global warming.

How Can I Make a Difference

It is easy to become involved in Earth Hour. Each year a set amount of time is scheduled in which participants will reduce the amount of electricity they are using. This time frame will vary around the world based on time zones, but overall, the effects can be great. It does not take much effort to be active. You would simply find out when Earth Hour is and try to eliminate the use of any non-essential electric product. This can be as simple as shutting off all lights and sitting by candle light with a good book. It is also a great time to get kids involved in the cause. There are many other ways to show support of Earth Hour. If it is not possible to shut off lights for the full hour, you can turn off televisions, eliminate computer use, shut off stereos and video games and any other thing that would consume unnecessary energy. By becoming involved in this event, you can help create awareness and once the hour is over, reports are often released to state just how much energy was conserved by your efforts in just one hour of time. Imagine what we could do by altering how we live daily and eliminating unnecessary usage.

How Companies Make a Difference

While companies will also try to conserve as much energy as possible during Earth Hour, there are other ways big businesses can be beneficial. Some companies will not be able to shut off lights or shut down computer systems. However, these companies can do other things to help the cause. If a company is not able to participate in Earth Hour, they can help raise awareness by promoting the event, offering sponsorships and handing out important information to clients and customers. Companies van also reach out to more people, getting in touch with suppliers, employees, contractors, customers and may others. This presents the perfect opportunity to spread the word and inform thousands of people of this amazing event. Even if companies cannot be active in the hour by reducing the use of electricity and energy, they can be a great resource and will have the ability to spread the word, informing thousands of something they may have never heard of in the past.

Green Companies Worth Supporting

Below are a few truly "Green" companies that Beyond the Hour believes are worthy of supporting. By supporting these companies you can be sure that they're doing their part in both the raising of awareness of Earth Day but also in their own internally to promote environmentally sound practices as much as possible. There are more and more companies out there who are in fact truly green, however there are some which also Greenwash (a word modelled on "whitewash") where green marketing is used deceptively to promote that organizations are using policies and procedures that are environmentally friendly. You can learn more about this term by clicking here.

Intel Corporation has virtually eliminated their need as a company to utilize electrical utilities that generate electricity by burning fossil fuels or use methods of generating power that are not considered green. Intel uses best practice and fully green compliant power generating resources. They do so by using Biogas, Biomass, Small-Hytro, Solar and Wing. Intel is also a big supporter of Earth Day. To visit the Intel Corporation website go here: http://www.intel.com

The University of Oklahoma has been featured on the EPA Green Power website here for some time now. They are a big supporter of generating power by Green means. Although their power generating isn't 100% Green as is the case with many of the other Green power generation focusing companies they are still in the top 50. The University however is a big supporter of Earth Day integrating it into student life and making it a part of the culture to promote environmentally friendly everything. To visit the University of Oklahoma website go here: http://www.ou.edu