For the fourth consecutive year, Belmont University will turn off lights for an Earth Hour Celebration as part of a global project to raise awareness of climate change and the need for sustainable living.
Hosted by student organization O.N.E. Club (Our Natural Environment), Belmont Goes Dark begins at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 31 on the South Lawn outside of the Maddox Grand Atrium. The event, which is open to the public and Belmont community, will include fireside acoustic performances by Chris Wright, Derek Johnson and the Chadasha Choir. There also will be s’mores as well as recycling stations for batteries, light bulbs and old electronics. Several Earth-conscience organizations also will have information booths.
At approximately 8:30 p.m., all non-emergency lighting in residence halls and on campus grounds will be turned off, and all students are encouraged to refrain from using energy-consuming devices during that time. Previously scheduled campus events will continue as planned.
Students can receive personal growth convocation credit for attending the Earth Hour celebration. Students, faculty and staff also should use the hashtag #BUearthhour on Twitter, follow @BelmontUniv and and participate in next week’s photo contest for a chance to win $50 Bruin Bucks. For more information, visit http://www.belmont.edu/earthhour.
Before leaving campus for the weekend, faculty and staff should turn off their lights, computers and other equipment and be mindful that power will be off in some areas for the event.
Students who reside on campus and plan to participate in Earth Hour should arrive at their intended locations before campus goes dark at 8:30 p.m. Belmont’s Campus Security can be reached at (615) 460-6617 to provide security escorts during the event.
An initiative of the World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour was started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. For more information on Earth Hour 2012, visit www.earthhour.org.
