CSC helped raise awareness about global warming when offices across Australia switched off all non-essential electrical devices on 29 March as part of the global environmental campaign, Earth Hour.

Earth Hour, an energy saving awareness initiative, encourages people to turn off lights and electrical appliances for an hour to help combat global warming. CSC got involved in the event by switching off all non-essential lighting, air conditioning and signage in its buildings from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. We joined 3,955 businesses in Australia, including our customers.

CSC Australia’s participation in the event ties into its new environmental program: Green Way. The program, which was formalized in December 2007, is part of the organization’s commitment to minimizing climate change and aims to reduce net carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent by 2010 from our 2007 levels.

How CSCers Marked Earth Hour:

“I attended a candle-lit picnic at Bronte Beach with friends,” said Environmental Sustainability Lead Anthony Ogilvie. “We even saw a group having a three legged race down a candle-lit runway.”

”We ended up lighting candles in the living room and playing a family game of monopoly,” said CSC Australia’s Vice President of Financial Services in CSC’s Health & Public Sector Matthew Day. “Monopoly was drawn to a close at 9.30 with no clear winner, but I was confident that I had a pipeline and strategy to triumph on a future occasion.”

“Last year’s Earth Hour triggered me to think about my energy usage and, since then, I have replaced all of my halogen down lights with LED lights,” said Network Systems Programmer Peter Hart. “This has reduced my energy usage from about 300 watts to 28 watts!”

“We ran around the house unplugging all electronic devices and sat down to dinner by candle light,” said Vice President of Human Resources Christiane Moloney. “The hour turned into an evening of relaxing and chatting about social issues. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience!”

“I went to Sydney’s Star City Casino to watch the city skyline ‘shut down,’ said Business Analyst Vivek Srinivasan. “There was a band and lots of people on the balcony watching the lights turn off across Sydney. It looked amazing.”

Learn more about CSC’s Green IT initiatives.