www.everythingsgonegreen.co.uk

…Saturday 28th March 2009 at 8:30pm.

Yes folks it’s nearly time for Earth Hour again. Earth Hour takes place on Saturday night at 8:30pm local time so whether you’re in  Sydney, London, New York or Los Angeles at 8:30pm your time it’s time to switch the lights out.

The whole purpose of Earth Hour is to highlight the need for government action on energy use and climate change. By looking to sign up 1 billion people, the WWF are hoping to demonstrate the strength of public sentiment toward climate change.

Here we’re going to be switching all the lights out and even vacating the HQ for the night as we attend a party so if any readers out there want to take part and turn everything off for an hour that would be much appreciated.

To take part in Earth Hour all you have to do is switch the lights off for that one hour at 8:30pm. Even better would be to sign up and tell the WWF you’re supporting them. Have a party, tell your friends, spread the word and let people know that you care. Otherwise, if we keep going at the pace we are and allow the governments to burn resources at 20th century rates then we’re all in trouble.

Do it. Do Earth Hour.

National Grid is taking an energy and climate change leadership role in the UK and calling for a national Masterplan to be developed to determine the route-map for a low-carbon economy.

The company is seeking greater Government, industry and consumer collaboration in order to meet the Government targets of 80% emissions reduction by 2050, and 15% renewable energy sources by 2020.

National Grid Chief Executive, Steve Holliday, said;

“Despite the challenging economic conditions, we must not take our eye off the ball in tackling climate change. This joined-up approach is essential to get the right legislative and regulatory frameworks in place and ensure necessary infrastructure investment is available in a timely manner for the connection of new renewable sources of electricity generation, and development of technologies such as biogas production, and linking smart meters into smart grids.

“However, electricity is not the full story. Heat and transport must also play their part. These are all areas where policy is still to be developed and new technology needs to be fostered. That is why we need a Masterplan.”

National Grid has developed scenario’s to determine the projected energy mix required to meet Government’s 2020 climate change and renewable sources targets. It is investing around £3 billion a year in its electricity and gas networks – approximately three quarters of this investment in the UK – and focusing on new technologies to enhance energy efficiency across its networks.

The company is also implementing annual carbon budgets across all its operations from 1st April 2009 and aligning emissions reductions alongside customer service, reliability, safety and financial performance management.

National Grid’s Head of Climate Change and Corporate Responsibility, Joe Kwasnik, added;

“We believe National Grid is one of the first companies in the world to align company-wide emissions with performance management. Our new interim emissions reduction target of 45%by 2020 – which goes further than the European Union’s potential 30% reduction commitment by 2020 – will provide a more relevant milestone for our business planning process and ensure emissions management is integrated into every aspect of our operational decision-making.”

For more information visit www.nationalgrid.com