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What time would you go to bed if you didn’t have electric lighting? Would you be able to get dressed properly in the morning in the pitch dark? Have you ever tried reading or doing your homework by candlelight? Can you imagine your life without any electric lights? Do you sometimes forget to switch them off? Your challenge this week is to become the family ‘light zapper’. Can you make sure ALL lights are switched off when they’re not needed - before you leave the house? After you’ve used the bathroom? After watching TV? Do you even need to switch them on at all in the morning – if you open your curtains when you first get up you might be surprised how bright the sunlight is! Lights use electricity, and electricity is normally created by burning fossil fuels – which releases carbon emissions causing climate change. So the more you ‘zap the lights’ the more you are doing to help combat climate change. New light bulbs – like LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) are fantastic, because they will really help reduce your carbon emissions. But if you’re not in the room, you still need to switch them off – every little bit helps. When you have successfully zapped lots of lights then don’t forget to HIT THE RED BUTTON!
Since Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb back in 1879 many of us have got more and more accustomed to just ‘switching on the light’. However, even 120 years later, 598 million people in Africa, do not have access to electricity in their homes, instead they have to rely on smoky oil kerosene lamps which are expensive, produce poor light, cause respiratory illnesses, and produce carbon emissions. SolarAid, a charity that you may have heard of, aims to combats poverty AND climate change by providing access to solar lights in some of the most remote regions of Africa – particularly Malawi and Zambia. The lights they provide are safe, clean, affordable, and use renewable energy rather than burning fossil fuels. The solar lights can give several hours of light every evening so families can work, learn and feel safe after dark. You may like to watch this SolarAid video that tells the story of an 11 year old Tanzanian boy, and his new solar light. https://youtu.be/UNvTX0_L3m0
Being a light zapper is one way you can keeping helping to combat climate change from your homes. Don’t forget to HIT THE RED BUTTON! and tell us when you've undertaken this challenge.
