Unisa goes dark in support of Earth Hour

Unisa’s Sustainability Office is tasked with ensuring the implementation of the institution’s Sustainability Framework throughout the university. As part of creating awareness and understanding around key sustainability topics, Unisa commemorates Earth Hour annually in the last week of March by switching off campus lights for an hour and thus symbolically connecting with the planet and environment. In terms of the framework, Unisa strives to be agile and embed innovative, collaborative, efficient and sustainable institutional solutions.

Earth Hour began in 2007 and has been known for the “lights off” moment. Individuals and organisations from around the world join hands for the symbolic switching off of lights to show support for the planet and to raise awareness of the environmental issues affecting it.

16 years since the first Earth Hour was observed, the world is at a tipping point with climate and nature crises, putting at risk the fate of our planet and our futures. We are surely on course to breach the 1,5 degrees Celsius global temperature increase limit set by the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. Our environment, which is the source of our very livelihoods and one of the biggest allies against the climate crisis, is under severe threat with alarming and unprecedented rates of loss recorded globally.

The next six years are crucial for our futures: efforts must be made to ensure that the global temperatures stay below the 1,5 degrees Celsius climate increase threshold to prevent irreversible damage to our planet and nature loss by 2030.

With the 2030 agenda for sustainable development in mind, the university is stepping up things by ensuring a roll out of initiatives aimed at raising awareness around:

• Climate change
• Biodiversity protection
• Environmental protection
• Sustainable development goals
• Clean/Renewable energy

Plans are already under way to introduce alternative clean energy on campuses such as the Science Campus in Florida. Greenhouse gas emissions are being measured and quantified to ensure that reduction strategies can be employed.

The Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) wetlands rehabilitation project is in the final stages of construction. This will see the section of the wetland that is in our care rehabilitated and protected from further harm.

The rollout of an integrated smart meter building management system (ISBMS) by the Facilities Management Department will allow the university to determine its water and energy consumption profile and therefore pave the way to ensure a reduction and preservation of those resources.

For this year’s Earth Hour, we are uniting for the biggest hour of earth with a symbolic lights switch-off on all campuses for an hour from 20:30-21:30 on Saturday, 23 March 2024.

Unisans are called upon to do something similar for an hour for our planet. Earth hour has become a precious moment of unity, reminding the world and communities that our one shared home needs our help and that we all can and must play a part in protecting it. Please share your stories and photos of your activities with us at sustainability@unisa.ac.za.

* Submitted by the Unisa Sustainability Office