Putting the planet first

• Margaret Cook
• March 30, 2009, The Age
  

Kirstin Jones, second from left, of Boroondara Park Primary School with students, Laura, Gianni and Madeleine. Photo: Eddie Jim

It's a small gesture that signals engagement with a big issue. This Friday, students at Boroondara Park Primary, in North Balwyn, will "go green" by adding a touch of that colour to their uniforms. They'll be encouraged to wear green jumpers, socks or ribbons. And like thousands of schools across Australia, the school will also "switch off"' its electricity for 90 minutes - all to promote Earth Hour.

"We want to show the children how much we rely on power and how important it is to conserve it," says year 5/6 teacher, Kirstin Jones. "Some students will be in specialist programs, such as music, during that time while others will be in their classrooms. It means teachers will need to plan programs that don't require the use of computers."

Tooradin Primary School plans to switch off everything - including lights, computers, heating and electricity, regardless of the weather - for an hour.

"We chose a time that would be most disruptive, one that would affect the children's programs and activities so they could understand how important it is," says environmental co-ordinator Kristie Young. "Sometimes a student says: `I'm a child, what can I do?' The message is that we can all make a difference."

Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. Last year, 50 million people around the world took part. This year the aim is to expand the event to take in 1 billion people in more than 1000 cities around the world, generating a wave of popular support to influence the world leaders attending the global climate change conference in Copenhagen in December.

Across Australia, lights will go out for an hour on Saturday from 8.30pm.

Earth Hour national manager Anna Fedeles says the movement's polling from last year found that families with children were more likely to "switch off"'.

"It's driven by the kids," she explains. "They learn about the environment at school, the things they can do to protect it and they often drive activities like recycling at home. It's important to develop these habits from a young age so they can apply them in their later life."

Many schools have registered with Earth Hour, but some are running their own activities at a level the children can understand, says Ms Fedeles. Schools can sign up this week on Earth Hour's website.

Both Boroondara and Tooradin have strong environmental and tree-planting programs, with Tooradin winning the 2008 National Save Water Award.

Boroondara's environment captain will speak at her school's assembly this week on why it is important to take part in Earth Hour. The aim is for children to go home and encourage their parents to "switch off" on Saturday evening.

"Children are so used to having televisions, computers and PlayStations, but we've been talking about all the things we can do to save electricity, such as switching off appliances at the power point rather than using the remote control," says Tooradin Primary's Miss Young. "The children have suggested family-oriented activities (for Saturday evening) like playing board games by candlelight, going for a walk or having a picnic."

Hobsons Bay City Council has launched an Earth Hour exhibition, with artwork by students from local schools displayed in the municipality's libraries. Bayside City Council is distributing biodegradable Earth Hour balloons to schools so students can attach them to their house's fence to show their family is taking part.

And Rosebud Secondary College students will canvass shoppers at Rosebud Plaza Shopping Centre this week to support Earth Hour. The school's sustainability co-ordinator, Meaghan Webster, says more students volunteered to take part than could be catered for.

"We'll have a station in the shopping centre and students from years 7 to 12 will talk to shoppers about Earth Hour and encourage them to take part. We also plan to switch off our lights at school on the Monday after Earth Hour."

Miss Webster says today's young people are very concerned about protecting the environment, more so than even a decade ago. "I'm in my sixth year of teaching and I've noticed a difference in students' attitudes since I started. They're very passionate and committed."

The Age is an official sponsor of Earth Hour. www.earthhour.org