Who wins when the lights go out?

Earth Hour will be marked here by over 500 organisations, but sceptics question the real impact on environmental sustainability
Brittany Khoo and Jamie Lee, Business Times 28 Mar 09;

AS individuals and corporate Singapore turn off their lights tonight at 8.30 pm to mark Earth Hour, some wonder if it's just a pie in the sky.

Organised by WWF Singapore, Earth Hour will see over 500 institutions and agencies here switching off their lights as a stand against climate change. Out of these, more than half are corporate organisations.

Most businesses, such as Maybank, CapitaLand and McDonald's, are marking the occasion by turning off facade and 'non-essential' lights at their properties islandwide.

Some are also offering discounts and Earth Hour-themed packages. Alcoholic beverages go cheap at various bars and cafes while at restaurants in Wisma Atria and Four Seasons Hotel, diners can opt for candlelight dinners and organic food menus.

Hong Leong Group leads the pack by turning off the lights at 25 local buildings, hotels and offices during Earth Hour. The Group's five hotels under the Millennium & Copthorne Hotels umbrella are also encouraging staff and guests to 'sleep naked', or without air-conditioning.

Yet, cynics question the real impact that these corporate organisations can have.

'Earth Hour is just for the publicity,' says National University of Singapore associate professor Wong Poh Poh. 'I have doubts about merely switching lights off for an hour - what real impact can this generate on saving our climate? It's far better if people and corporate organisations take more effective measures on a daily scale, rather than observing one hour in the calendar year.'

Referring to the effort by the Blackberry manufacturer to set up a mobile site for users to receive Earth Hour updates, Meng Yew Choong, a public relations agent for an events management company, asked: 'Shouldn't people be switching their smartphones off during Earth Hour too?'

'Promoting a sustainable lifestyle unfortunately requires much more than just flicking the switch off for an hour. The danger is that people may feel this gesture is enough, and walk away feeling smug that they did their part,' he added. 'This will make Earth Hour nothing more than meaningless tokenism.'

Others also reckoned that if the lights are 'non-essential' to begin with, then businesses ought to switch them off throughout the year, rather than for this event only.

But businesses argued that helping the environment is part of their business ethic.

City Developments has been encouraging its tenants to cultivate eco-friendly habits on a daily basis, such as turning off electrical equipment when not in use, and recycling paper.

And at Lend Lease, too, Earth Hour does not stop with today's action. 'This is only one part of our sustainability initiatives - putting words into action,' said Ooi Eng Peng, CEO of Lend Lease Investment Management Asia. Since 2008, its head office in Singapore and centre management offices have been turning off their lights for an hour during lunch time every day.

A spokesman for Singapore Marriott noted that besides participating in Earth Hour, the hotel is also using energy-saving bulbs and light sensors in toilets.

'From rising sea levels to droughts, climate change is real,' said Anjna Nihalani, marketing and communications director for Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre. 'We can be sceptical about it or we can start by playing our part for the planet and the environment that we live in.'