U.S. Embassies in the Pacific Support Earth Hour

March 26, 2010

Inspired by the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Earth Hour initiative, all eight U.S. Embassies in the Pacific region are collectively joining Earth Hour by implementing energy-saving initiatives and by taking individual action appropriate to their respective settings. Actions include turning off all non-essential lighting, installing motion sensors for lighting to minimize wastage and using ambient or day lighting whenever possible

As part of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Green Diplomacy Initiative, which started on Earth Day April 22, 2009, U.S. embassies around the Pacific are making energy saving a priority, even including it in embassy mission statements and long-term strategic plans.

Through their collective participation in Earth Hour, the eight U.S. embassies in the Pacific will be saving hundreds of kilowatt-hours in the short term, and tens of thousands of kilowatt-hours in the longer term.

The eight U.S. Embassies around the Pacific participating in Earth Hour are those in Apia, Samoa; Canberra, Australia; Kolonia, Federated States of Micronesia; Koror, Palau; Majuro, the Marshall Islands; Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; Suva, Fiji and Wellington, New Zealand. The embassy in Port Moresby also handles relations with the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

In this, the Year of Biodiversity, it is especially important to remember that climate change threatens biodiversity. The eight embassies are trying to raises awareness to conserve energy. Even simple conservation measures can produce real results.

“The staff at the U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby,” said Public Diplomacy Officer Brian Asmus, “fully understands that climate change will disproportionately affect the nations that we serve, namely Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. We believe that we have a duty and moral obligation to take the lead and do our share to mitigate any negative effects.”

Consistent with this year’s theme of “Going beyond the Hour,” many measures will continue to be in place after Earth Hour. In fact, some are already in place. 

Energy conservation is the least expensive way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Day-lighting costs nothing to implement, while saving both energy and money. Turning off just one 100-watt light bulb per a 10-hour day saves five kilowatt-hours per work week and 260 kilowatt-hours per year. This is enough to run an efficient four-bedroom house in the United States for a month.  If hundreds of offices could do this, the savings in energy and cost would quickly add up.