Earth Saving Day is a 24-hour period for the UK to reduce electricity. They were asked by environmental groups, religious leaders and energy companies to turn off all appliances not in use.The National Grid monitored how much of a difference this made, and you can see the results on BBC, where all this information is coming from.
E-Day started on the steps of the St. Paul Cathedral in London, England at six o’clock in the evening. The Bishop of London spoke and the public watched environmental documentaries about climate change. However, no change was found.
Due to the decrease of temperature from Tuesday to Thursday, it is believed that people used more heat on Wednesday. A 2-3% decrease in the use of electricity was expected, but Dr. Matt Prescott, E-Day’s organizer, states “I will do my best to learn the relevant lessons for next time.”Specifically for carbon dioxide, it was expected that gases would decrease by 80%, but I guess it was uneffected.
I don’t think that the UK should have E-Day annually. What’s the point of saving energy for one day when you will continue to waste energy for the rest of the year? If it’s just being used for scientific research, then I believe that it’s a fantastic idea. It’s important to know how much we could save if we turned off appliances not in use. However, this wasn’t the goal of this particular project. They actually wanted Britons to save energy, and I believe that everyone, not just the UK, should try to save energy throughout the entire year. Obviously, one day of conserving energy will not make a difference in changing the environment of the world.
March 3, 2008 at 2:02 am
I agree with you that in the end, this may not have made a big impact, but I still feel the concept is great, and personally i feel they should continue this annually. The idea has good fundamentles, and I think it may have a huge impact in raising awareness of energy conservation, even if it doesnt create a massive dip in energy use. Its a step in the right direction.
March 4, 2008 at 10:14 pm
I agree with your viewpoint on not having this annually. The energy saved on that one day doesnt make that much of a difference compared to all the rest of the days of the year without energy being saved. If this is indeed for research, then all the power to them, as long as something is done with the results.