At 9:45 a.m. Friday, Essex High School went dark.

Students and teachers in nearly every classroom joined in the school’s “Flick Off” event, switching off their lights for an hour to draw attention to climate change.

The event, organized by the school’s Environmental Club was about “making little everyday changes that can really impact the future,” said junior Shannon Murtha.

The hour of darkness—or in some teachers’ cases, a full day—was a precursor to the worldwide Earth Hour event set for March 27. From 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time, people around the globe will turn off their lights to draw attention to the need for action against climate change.

They held the event to “raise awareness about Earth Hour, climate change, sustainable living, and just to try to make people think more about their actions,” said teacher Barbara Burnham, the club’s advisor. “Hopefully people will think about their energy use and turn off lights when they’re not needed.” 

Junior Alec Robinson said they were able to accomplish a concrete goal—reducing energy at the school.

“It was cool because we actually did the thing we were trying to do,” he said.

“A lot of people probably would have forgotten to do it tomorrow,” said junior Jenna Smith. “This shows how easy it is.”

Many students said the event showed them, and others in the community, how easy it is to make a difference every day.

“It’s not like you really have to change anything, you just have to flip a switch,” said senior Rebecca Anderson. “Everything goes dark, but it’s not a bad dark.”

Tyler Armstrong, a junior who was the one to flip the switch in his classroom, said the event made him think about people who don’t have electricity.

“What is an hour, really?” he said.

Students said they are concerned about the impact climate change will have on the future, as well as on wildlife and the polar ice caps.

“When I think about how it’s going to affect the next generation, I’m definitely concerned,” Murtha said.

Last year, millions of people in more than 4,000 cities participated in Earth Hour, now in it’s third year. Homes, businesses, skyscrapers and world icons from the Eiffel Tower to the Empire State will all go dark on Saturday night.

For more information, visit www.earthhour.org.

Are you doing something for Earth Hour? Tell us about it.

 

To publish something of your own, click here. Got a story idea? E-mail stephanie@fireflymag.com.