THOUGH BARBADOS' Earth Hour drive to reduce energy usage had minimal effect in March, organisers are hoping it would have set the tone for future conservation efforts across the island.

The March 29 event had asked participants to switch off lights and non-essential electrical equipment for an hour from 8 p.m. to reduce electricity usage. It was part of a global initiative to raise awareness of energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions (like carbon dioxide) and their effect on climate change.

Nicole Garofano, volunteer administrator at Counterpart Caribbean, the local organiser, said officials at Barbados Light & Power reported only one megawatt of electricity was saved during that hour.

"This reduction was established by comparing readings of other Saturday nights to March 29, 2008. The decline in use in reality is only about 0.8 per cent of the load. However, the readings and the comparative work needed to calculate this difference has now established a precedent for future similar events," she stressed, while thanking those who participated.

"It provide[d] consumers with the opportunity to make a clear, conscious choice to reduce their impact on the planet and most certainly the island and ultimately its economy. With an average of some 200 000 gallons of fuel per day required to create our electricity, any small change can collectively make a difference."

Garofano said more national awareness was needed for upcoming Earth Hour-type events, which Counterpart Caribbean and its supporters were hoping would be at least yearly.

Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia, in March 2007, where over 2.2 million residents and over 2 100 businesses switched off, leading to a 10.2 per cent energy reduction across the city.

In 2008, 24 global cities, and millions of people in other countries, participated in Earth Hour.

While it was not clear how much energy had been saved in the initiative, in Thailand, for example, WWF Thailand said the lights-out campaign in Bangkok saved 73.34 megawatts of electricity, which would have produced 45.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide. (BW)