Girl Scouts Forever Green - Earth Hour Project Details

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The project
How to do the project
Participating in Earth Hour
Facts
Tips
Resources
Tools and promotional resources

During the month of March, you'll engage your families, friends, and neighbors in making small changes that have big a big impact on your CO₂ footprint—and also save energy and money. You'll do this by:

Replacing incandescent lightbulbs with ENERGY STAR^® qualified (or other energy-efficient) lightbulbs
Uniting with hundreds of millions of people around the world as they turn off the lights during Earth Hour, from 8:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 31, 2012

At the end of the month, on the Register page, you'll log:

The number of ENERGY STAR^® qualified (or other energy-efficient) lightbulbs installed during the month
The number of unregistered people (and the number who are Girl Scout members) who participated in your project

Brighten up the Earth's future in a few easy steps!

Learn to choose an energy-efficient lightbulb. "ENERGY STAR^® qualified" lightbulbs meet strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Lighting products that have earned the ENERGY STAR^® deliver exceptional features, while using less energy than non-ENERGY STAR^® products.
Decide which bulb is best for your needs. Choosing among the various types of energy-efficient bulbs and deciding where to use them can be daunting. For guidance on choosing the right bulbs, check out the Choose a Light Guide and find out how to choose CFLs and where to use them. You can also learn more about LED bulbs.
Save the incandescent lightbulbs you switched out for fixtures where CFLs or LEDs aren't suitable, like in a closet where the light would only be on for a few minutes at a time, or for a dimmable fixture if you don't have a dimmable CFL. Energy-efficient bulbs provide the most savings in fixtures that are lit for at least two hours a day.

Earth Hour is a global celebration of the planet that encourages individuals, communities, businesses, and governments to turn off non-essential lights and other electrical appliances for one designated hour each year. Join this symbolic action to raise awareness about environmental issues and encourage sustainable lifestyle habits: turn off the lights from 8:30–9:30 pm on Saturday, March 31, 2012.

In 2011, Earth Hour was celebrated in 135 countries and territories, across more than 5,000 cities and towns and every continent, with famous landmarks such as the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, Buckingham Palace, the Sydney Opera House, and the Great Wall of China going dark. We expect 2012 to be even better!

Check out the Official Earth Hour 2012 video and message to Girl Scouts (below). Get more facts and register to participate on the Earth Hour site, in addition to registering with Girl Scouts Forever Green. Got great Earth Hour photos or YouTube video links? Send them to gsforevergreen@girlscouts.org.

As you plan an event for this special hour and inspire local landmarks to turn off their lights, you'll dream up lots of fun things to do in the dark!

Plan a candlelight dinner for your group.
Hold a treasure hunt by flashlight.
Play board games, tell stories, or sing songs
Use wind-up flashlights or glow sticks and conduct a ceremony with your local Girl Scout community.
Line a darkened bridge with lanterns or ask neighbors to display lanterns by their doorsteps in support of Girl Scouts Forever Green—Earth Hour. Consider creating a virtual Earth Hour lantern.

Think of the impact 20,000, 30,000, or even 40,000 girls in your area might have when everyone is doing the same thing at the same time! Girl Scouts of Colorado got the state capitol to go dark, and girls holding glow sticks formed a giant GS on the steps. Talk about creating visibility! What can you envision? And remember, Girl Scouts can go beyond the hour by making a pledge of ongoing sustainable action for the year ahead.

Put the Flip the Switch! Sticker on light-switch faceplates or beside light switches to remind people to turn off the lights.

Connect this project to the It's Your Planet—Love It! Leadership Journey. Review the ties to the Girl Scouts National Program Portfolio for specific Earth Hour–related Journey activities.

If 3 million Girl Scouts turn off the light every time they leave a room, more than 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide will be saved each year. Just think what we, as a movement, can do!
If every American home replaces just one lightbulb with one that earns the ENERGY STAR®, we will:

Save enough energy to light 3 million homes for a year
Save about $600 million in annual energy costs
Prevent 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year, equivalent to the emissions from about 800,000 cars

An ENERGY STAR^® qualified compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) saves more than $40 in electricity costs over its lifetime, uses about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs, and lasts up to 10 times longer.
An ENERGY STAR^® qualified LED light bulb can last 25,000 hours; that means one installed in a newborn's nursery won't have to be changed until she or he graduates from college!
LEDs produce far less heat than incandescent bulbs, which can reduce air-conditioning needs.
ENERGY STAR^® qualified televisions of all sizes use about 40 percent less energy than standard units.
Choose appliances that have earned the ENERGY STAR^® and you can save $85 a year in energy and water costs while conserving precious resources.
Next time you do laundry, use cold water. Heating hot water accounts for about 90 percent of the energy your machine uses to wash clothes.

When not in use, unplug electronics and chargers and turn off electrical equipment to save energy; using a power strip makes this easy!
Your local electric and gas companies can be a great source of support, and may be willing to partner with your group on a project.
Local science and children's museums may offer great hands-on activities for you to learn more about energy.
If you plan on using candles during Earth Hour, keep safety in mind and only use them with adult supervision. Consider using candles made of natural products (such as beeswax or soy) instead of petroleum-based materials. These are gentler to our planet, smoke-free, non-toxic and non-allergenic.
Handle and store CFLs with care. Fluorescent lightbulbs contain a small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing. No mercury is released when the bulbs are intact (not broken) or in use. CFLs are made of glass and can break if dropped or roughly handled. The risk of mercury vapor in a broken CFL is small, and promptly and properly cleaning up the broken bulb can greatly reduce or eliminate any risk. To minimize exposure to mercury vapor, review EPA’s recommendations for cleanup and disposal steps.

See Girl Scouts Forever Green pledge cards, stickers, Web banners, posters, and more!