5 minutes for the Planet
If you're in France at the moment, then why not do your little piece for the environment and join WWF and L'Alliance pour la Planete in turning off all your lights and electrical appliances between 19.55 – 20.00 tomorrow evening (23 October). The aim of this “5 minutes for the planet” initiative is not to conserve electricity, but for environmentally conscious citizens to send a strong message to the French Government that they must take serious steps to counterract the effect our consumer lifestyle is having on the environment. Last year, around 7 million people turned off their lights (nearly 11% of the population) and they are hoping to make an even stronger impact this year. Why not make the most of the event and enjoy a candlelit dinner with a clear conscience?
**Update** At 19.55 on Tuesday, the réseau de transport d'électricité français (RTE) measured a 0.9% reduction in the consumption of electricity across the country. Whilst that may not sound much, it is the equivalent amount of power required to light 10 million 60 watt light bulbs as even the Eiffel Tower and the Hotel de Ville in Paris disappeared into the darkness for 5 minutes. This specific time was chosen as RTE report that it is between the hours of 7 & 8pm that the highest levels of electricity consumption are registered in France. At this time there is an overlap between business consumption, with people working late and domestic consumption, as people return home and shower and eat. The initiative marked the end of the Governments recent meetings on environmental policy.
