Irish firms failed to see the light - activists

CLIMATE CHANGE:THE ORGANISERS of the first Earth Hour in Ireland have declared the initiative a success, but have criticised the major corporate banks for their lack of co-operation.

Lights were turned off in Dublin city and in other locations across the country between 8pm and 9pm as part of the second international Earth Hour which aims to raise awareness of unnecessary energy use.

Preliminary results from Eirgrid estimate that demand for electricity was down 1.5 per cent around the time of the Earth Hour, the equivalent of 50 megawatts of electricity or enough electricity to power 30,000 homes for an hour.

Cathy Flanagan, co-ordinator of Earth Hour in Ireland, said the results amount to both a "small step and a giant leap. Next year we can build on this".

Among the buildings which turned off their lights were Liberty Hall and the Custom House in Dublin, and the mood lighting under the bridges across the Liffey.

However, Ms Flanagan said she was disappointed that all the lights in the International Finance Service Centre and the Ulster Bank headquarters, along the quays in Dublin, were left on for the whole hour.

"All of these banks have corporate social responsibility units. That's a disappointment. We will hope for better next year," she said.

Ms Flanagan said she was confident that Cork City Council will follow the lead of Dublin City Council and take part in Earth Hour next year.

"We are delighted that Cork city is considering engaging in this global initiative in 2009 and we would urge the business community nationally to embrace the spirit of this campaign in 2009," she said.

Friends of the Irish Environment director Tony Lowes said he was disappointed with the response of business despite an e-mail from Dublin Chamber of Commerce to 14,000 businesses across the country.

"Many of our calls to corporate and social responsibility officers in Irish businesses were never even returned. Perhaps this makes the point that individuals are more concerned with global warming than corporate Ireland," he said.