25 March 2009 Bright ideas, not bright lights encouraged for Earth Hour among Lincoln students

Lincoln University Students' Association executive member and Campaigns Officer Samantha Rowland says “bright ideas, not bright lights, are what's needed for Earth Hour”.

“Earth Hour offers a great opportunity to be imaginative and creative in ways for cutting back on electricity usage,” she says.

Samantha's suggestions include: “A candle-lit dinner  -  always very romantic; going to a party and taking your own musical instruments  - drums, guitars, whatever, so you don't have to power a CD player or stereo;  and for flatties  -  everyone congregating in  one room for an hour rather than being spread throughout a flat in separate places with lots of lights on in individual rooms.

“With a bit of imagination, Earth Hour can be a really creative time,” she says.

The  Lincoln Students' Association's  Environmental Officer, Blake Robinson,  has encouraged students to “get involved” in Earth Hour in his column in the latest edition of the student magazine Caclin.

“Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth,” he says. “No power doesn't mean the end of the world, it means saving it.”