Homes and businesses that joined Earth Hour 2017 and turned off the lights on Saturday allowed Costa Rica save an amount of electricity equivalent to the average consumption of 80,000 homes, the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) reported.
Salvador López, the director of ICE’s Energy Control Center, said in a written response that between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. the country saved 32 kilowatts, 2 more than in last year’s celebration.
The official event to mark the Earth Hour in Costa Rica took place at the MultiPlaza mall, west of San José. Those in attendance enjoyed music, visited stands of various businesses and got the opportunity to write conservation messages on a board.
Local organizers also presented an online tool at the event that allows customers of the National Power and Light Company to find out their electricity consumption’s impact on their carbon footprint.
Those interested can register at www.Medidordeesfuerzo.com (available only in Spanish) and check their information by entering the customer number (NISE) that appears on their monthly electricity bill. The online platform will display consumers’ consumption data for the last three months.
José Molina, director of the Earth Hour Costa Rica, said at the event that the site offers a simple and friendly way to monitor electricity use. It also offers tips to reduce electricity consumption.
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Global initiative
The Earth Hour is an international initiative created by the World Wildlife Fund in 2007. It takes place the last Saturday of March of every year and motivates people to turn off the lights for an hour to raise awareness of energy conservation.
According to the campaign’s official website, a total of 187 countries took part in this year’s Earth Hour.
“More than 3,000 landmarks switched off their lights and millions of individuals, businesses and organizations across seven continents stepped forward to change climate change,” the organization reported.
The global initiative also is pushing countries to engage in public commitments and the drafting and approval of more climate-friendly laws and policies.
