Daring the world to save the planet is the strong stance of the World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour this year. Uniting people to protect the planet, Earth Hour 2013 will take place on 23 March from 20:30 to 21:30
Daring the world to save the planet is the strong stance of the World WildlifeFund’s (WWF) Earth Hour this year. Uniting people to protect the planet, Earth Hour 2013 will take place on 23 March from 20:30 to 21:30.
It’s clear that with the world facing some of the most critical environmental challenges in its history, this global movement is not just about switching off for one hour, but also premised on what will be done beyond that.
Earth Hour is an opportunity to show commitment to change as part of a global interconnected community. This has already inspired stories of organisations and individuals truly going beyond the hour with sustainable steps, big and small, towards a better planet. With Unisa the largest open distance learning institution in Africa, the potential to fulfil its social mandate by ensuring a sustainable future is immense. Prof Mandla Makhanya, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, says, “As a knowledge production community, our role in educating and creating awareness around this global movement is huge. And it doesn’t just start and stop at that. We also need to take personal responsibility for our energy consumption and footprint, not just during Earth Hour, but every single minute of the day. If we want a sustainable future, there’s much work to be done. I urge and encourage Unisans to make real changes and affect this university, country, continent, and world.”
Indeed Unisa is contributing to the bigger picture through many intiatives, one of which is its Fuel Cell and Nanotechnology Research Flagship which resides within the College of Science, Engineering and Technology. One of its development capacity aims is providing a forum for knowledge exchange and interaction in the areas of fuel cell and nanotechnology through seminar presentations by members of the group and researchers in these fields from other institutions. Chair of this flagship, Prof Ayo Samuel Afolabi, believes the development of any nation depends mainly on the availability of sustainable energy that is also environmentally friendly. The source of most of the energy needed for domestic and industrial consumption thus far has been fossil fuel.
This dependence means the world fossil fuel demand outweighs production and results in an energy crisis because of supply shortage and price instability. The emergence of nanotechnology, which is basically the manipulation of materials at nanoscale, has taken its position in the development of alternative source of energy in recent times. Says Afolabi, “Scientifically speaking, the advancement of technology revolves around the availability of different materials at our disposal. This in turn, is strongly dependent on the properties of these materials to meet various engineering applications.”
Prof Mandla Makhanya (Principal and Vice-Chancellor) urges Unisans to take personal responsibility for their energy consumption and footprint, not just during Earth Hour, but every single minute of the day
The emergence of nanotechnology research in many higher institutions and research centres in the country is an additional motivation to explore the application of this technology to develop sustainable sources of energy. “The development of these alternative sources of energy through the application of nanomaterials to develop fuel cell parts and solar panel has lent itself to research strides. It’s also an enormous contribution to knowledge in the application of nanotechnology in South Africa and conservation of foreign exchange and exploitation of our naturally occurring resources,” says Afolabi.
Considered a special hour of darkness, Earth Hour in South Africa is gaining momentum, with many events being held in support and celebration. So when you switch off, what will you doing for Earth Hour 2013 and, more importantly, beyond the hour? Have you been inspired by the actions of others? Share your stories with us.
