The Alternative Press

WEST ORANGE, NJ - The West Orange Energy Commission is pleased to host an Earth Hour Booster Event at Thomas Edison National Historical Park.  The event will be held this afternoon from 3-5 pm in the Visitor Reception Building.

Superintendent Jill Hawk of TENHP will give a brief overview of the museum and a short history of Edison's work on an electric automobile from 1899-1909. Township videographer Pat Sutherland will tape the program, which will be broadcast locally on 36/45 and submitted to the Earth Hour website and township schools.

Assemblyman John McKeon, long time supporter of environmental initiatives, will be on hand to speak, along with a spokesperson from Phillips Lighting.

Attendees will see a 'lit' exhibit of lighting in human history, including the candle, oil lamp, gas lamp, kerosene lamp, Edison early filament bulb lamp, standard incandescent lamp, fluorescent tube lamp, compact CFL lamp, and LED lamp.

Teachers, Board of Education Members and PTAs will be present as well. Residents can learn how West Orange is progressing, evolving, with sustainability, ecology,  and stewardship of our environment.

From Mike Brick, Chair of the West Orange Energy Commission:

"The main point of Earth Hour is to show the world that a solution to the world’s environmental challenges is possible if we work on them together – together our actions add up!" Earth Hour is a worldwide event in which people, towns, cities and businesses have come together to make a statement that they care about the future of the planet and their own communities. By the simple act of turning off our lights we, together with thousands of others, declare that as citizens of West Orange we care and are concerned about the effects of climate change on ourselves, our community, and our world.

A symbolic large switch will simulate turning off our electricity, as it will be done world-wide on Saturday, March 31^st from 8:30-9:30 PM to heighten awareness of the environment. Millions of people around the world have participated each year since 2007. The goal is “to inspire people to reduce their energy consumption every day, not by sitting in the dark for an hour each night, but by taking simple steps that can have a dramatic effect. Primarily to reduce, reuse, recycle.”

.The West Orange Energy Commission encourages you to join in on March 23 and turn off all non-essential lights from 8:30-9:30 PM, and pledge to make smart choices that save money, reduce waste & energy use, and create a more positive future for our shared environment."

For more information on Earth Hour, go to http://www.earthhour.org.

For more information on the West Orange Energy Commission, go to: http://westorange.org/index.aspx?nid=92.