Earth Hour didn’t do much to save Chicago’s electricity, but it was still important, participants said.
The energy conservation initiative, sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund, encouraged both individuals and businesses to keep their lights off for one hour March 28. Chicago participated as one of the program’s flagship cities, turning lights off at the Sears Tower and John Hancock Observatory.
In Chicago and throughout northern Illinois, demand for energy dropped by just 1 percent, according to a ComEd press release.
“The energy reduction is the equivalent of removing 154,500 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, or planting 19 acres of trees,” the release said.
Information specifically on energy reduction for Evanston was unavailable.
Part of Earth Hour’s value lies in its ability to raise awareness even when the reduction in energy consumption is marginal, said David Coster, general manager at Evanston’s Best Western University Plaza.
The hotel registered as a participant but was unable to participate in Earth Hour to its full extent because of its guests. Management opted to turn off all outdoor lights, including signage, and dim the hotel lobby and hallway lights.
“It was a challenge; we couldn’t do too much because of the guests,” Coster said. “They said ‘why are the lights dimmed’ or that they couldn’t see the signs (from outside).”
While Coster said he has not yet analyzed exactly how much energy or money he saved, he knows the savings were minimal.
However, he said the idea is still valuable.
“I think it’s a worthwhile cause,” he said. “In the long run an hour doesn’t save much, but it opens people’s eyes to how much you can do.”
Coster said the hotel takes other everyday measures to conserve energy as well, such as shutting down entire floors when guest volume is low to cut back on lighting, heating and air conditioning.
Sobek Consulting, one of Evanston’s registered participants in Earth Hour, took an alternative approach to saving energy. Since the hour fell on a Saturday, the small consulting firm took part by shutting off all power in the office, said Bill Backs, a senior partner.
Backs said that, while employees always turn off their computers, they went a step further March 28 by powering down all computer equipment.
“We did everything we could,” he said. “By going from outlet to outlet you discover that, for cell phone chargers for example, people leave them plugged in, and that sucks energy.”
Sobek cut their energy costs to almost zero during Earth Hour, Backs said.
He added that there has been a heightened awareness and sensitivity in the office about taking small steps to conserve since the event.
“It sensitizes you to some issues,” he said. “Not only is it green and helps the environment, but you’re paying for it so your electric bill comes in smaller.”
“I think the advantage of Earth Hour, even though it seems like kind of a gimmick, is it makes you think,” Backs said.
