Jakarta’s One Hour Lights-Out Event Cuts 60 Tons of Carbon Emissions
A one-hour lights-off campaign conducted annually by the people of Jakarta in celebration of World Environment Day was successful in cutting 60.14 tons of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emission. The one hour lights out event was conducted on June 13 from 8:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m., asking people to turn off their unnecessary lights and electrical gadgets. “Dudi Gardesi, Head of Jakarta Environmental Agency said that this lights-out event was not just formalities but an example of how simple things people do could bring good results for our environment.”
“The 60 minutes light-out activity is not just formality but a message that simple things we do could really make impact to the environment,” said Gardesi.
Data from the PLN Disjaya distribution unit of Greater Jakarta showed that about 75.18 MWh of electricity were saved through the campaign. In addition, the reduced energy consumption also helped in saving an approximate amount of Rp108.7 million ($5,800) worth of electricity. As per Gardesi, the campaign was held based on Governor's Instruction No. 14 of 2021, which deals with lights outages for energy savings and carbon emission reductions. The campaign is held periodically in Jakarta. As per Gardesi, the drastic decline in emissions proves that there is potential environmental impact when there are changes in energy consumption habits and participation and awareness of the public. The success of the campaign was attributed to the involvement of various stakeholders, including the buildings' managers, businesses, communities, and even individuals, who joined the campaign by switching off their unneeded lighting systems for one hour.
“This was made possible by the combined efforts of some different groups who lent their support to the campaign and have been able to minimize wastage of energy,” he said. The administration of the Jakarta Provincial Government goes on educating about saving of energy in order to cut down the use of electricity at home and in office. As per Gardesi, small individual efforts will result in a huge collective effort made by millions of individuals. “Every person taking small measures collectively will create a big difference in making Jakarta a better place from an environmental standpoint. Environmental protection and offering clean air to breathe is not just a responsibility of the government but of all the citizens of Jakarta,” he said. As a part of the campaign, some of the landmarks of Jakarta like the National Monument (Monas), Arjuna Wiwaha statue, Hotel Indonesia Roundabout Welcome monument, Sudirman Statue, and Jakarta City Hall have been put in low lighting mode.
