‘Light-out’ initiative aims to bring awareness of energy conservation

AMMAN — This year’s Earth Hour inspired a young Jordanian to start an initiative titled “Light-Out” to raise awareness of the need to save energy.

Earth Hour, which is annually held on the last Saturday of March at 8:30pm, was first launched by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and its partners in Sydney in 2007, according to the Earth Hour website.

 “I was in Ajloun Forest Reserve, and when all the lights were turned off at once, those moments were magical and inspiring,” Sarah Hussein, founder of the “Light-Out” initiative, told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.

Hussein who is in her early 20s, said that there should be more action on climate change and environmental preservation, which encouraged her to start her own initiative. She noted that one hour of turning lights off will not save the world all at once, but will shine light on key messages regarding energy consumption and environment protection.

Turning the lights off when leaving a room, or switching off electric devices when not in use, helps save a significant amount of energy and reduces costs for electricity bills and wasted energy, in addition to decreasing carbon emissions and other harmful greenhouse gases, she added.

“I am currently designing some comic sketches that show the importance of turning off the lights, and how those simple acts can positively change people’s lives, especially since new electric tariffs will take effect on April 1,” she said.

This year, 192 countries and territories took part in Earth Hour 2022, while 35 countries trended across Twitter and Google, according to the Earth Hour website.

In a statement sent to The Jordan Times, Ajloun Forest Reserve Manager Othman Tawalbeh said that the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) joins the world every year in celebrating Earth Hour, aiming to reinforce commitment to making change, through environmental protection.

“Turning off lights is a symbolic step that reflects people’s ability, to achieve a common goal when they are united,” he said.