An initiative of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Earth Hour has become a yearly event. It started off as single-city project in 2007 in Sydney, Australia and has grown into a worldwide phenomenon with 7 000 cities in 152 countries taking part last year.
According to WWF: “Earth Hour is about inspiring and mobilising action and empowering people to celebrate Earth Hour in whatever ways best honour the planet. Our small positive actions all add up.”
It is to encourage people to switch off for one hour, to contemplate our impact on our planet and to commit to investing in its future.
If only we could borrow some of the amazing abilities marine organisms have, such as producing our own light. This ability is called bioluminescence and it is quite common in the marine environment, especially in the deep, dark ocean where it is used for defence, offence or to attract a mate. The actual luminescence is caused by special bacteria that live in the tissue of the animal or plant. Here a few examples:
Anglerfish can be the stuff of nightmares, with their cavernous mouths full of needle-like teeth and a general appearance of something you do not want to bump into anywhere, really. These amazing fish have a modified spine of their dorsal fin which ends in a ball that is packed with these glowing bacteria. The fish then dangles this spine in front of its face in an attempt to “fish” itself a meal. Would it not be convenient to have something like this, for reading or night-time bike rides?
Watch these beasts in action:
While anglerfish use their bioluminescence as a way to attract prey, some species of squid try and protect themselves by flashing their predator with bright lights. While the predator is left blinded and confused, the squid makes a quick getaway.
There are several rather radiant examples of luminescence in the ocean, and you can get more information here.
Since we are not quite there, in terms of growing appendages with luminous bacteria, we must concentrate on conserving the energy that we do have until alternative energy sources become more readily available.
So haul out your candles and board games, or find a nice place to look at the stars. Whichever way you choose to support and take part, remember that small things do make a difference. If you do not know where to start, visit the Earth Hour website for some easy tips.
Don’t forget: Switch off. Switch over … #WeAreAllConnected
Date: 23 March 2013
Time: 8.30pm-9.30pm
Where: Everywhere!
See also:
Earth Hour: Turning off lights saves water
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