By Brian Campued
In a bid to promote a whole-of-nation approach to energy efficiency, the Department of Energy (DOE) is preparing to launch a weekly Earth Hour initiative.
During a press briefing in Malacañang on Friday, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin underscored the importance of energy conservation since the country heavily depends on petroleum to power most industries.
Garin said while global oil prices are beyond the government’s control, reducing consumption can help cushion its impact on the economy and extend fuel supply, which remains sufficient for about 50 days.
“Ang suggestion namin every week may Earth Hour para aware tayo that we have to save energy because we can control our consumption pero hindi natin makontrol ang Israel at saka [United States],” she said, pertaining to the ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East between Israel-US and Iran forces.
Similar to the annual Earth Hour observance, DOE’s latest initiative will encourage households and offices to switch off non-essential lights for at least one hour every week.
“Next week or this week, we will start our weekly Earth Hour na lahat tayo mag-save ng energy at least one hour per week. Let’s make that part of our behavior, our activities in our daily lives,” Garin said.
She likewise stressed the need to sustain energy efficiency efforts even beyond the current situation, saying the country must strengthen “energy sovereignty.”
“We need energy sovereignty really. We can all contribute to that by saving on energy and electricity,” the DOE chief said.
In March, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered government agencies to reduce electricity and fuel consumption by 10% to 20% following a state of national energy emergency.
Garin reported that over 500 government buildings inspected by the DOE “adjusted and are compliant” with the strict energy conservation measures.
“I think maganda po ito na activity kasi we will save energy, we will save diesel, we save oil, but at the same time, we can even use the savings so that marami pa pong matutulungan iyong gobyerno,” she said.
“We need to conserve because we are so dependent on petroleum. If we can save on our lighting, even sa kotse natin, minimize ‘yung travel natin, we can protect our economy,” she added.
-jpv
