This weekend, the University of Notre Dame will participate in Earth Hour by turning out the lights on the Golden Dome of the Main Building and the Word of Life mural on the Hesburgh Library. , which takes place at 8:30 p.m. Saturday (March 31), has become an international symbol of support for climate change action.

This year’s Earth Hour will be celebrated by hundreds of millions of people in more than 130 countries. Lights will be turned off on such iconic landmarks as the Empire State Building, the Pyramids of Giza, the Parthenon, the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro and St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.

“We encourage every member of the campus community to participate in Earth Hour by turning off their lights at 8:30 on Saturday evening and by making a long-term commitment to conserve energy,” said Sarah Misener, associate vice president of Campus Services. “Community involvement is essential to achieving our sustainability goals.”

“Our participation in Earth Hour reflects our values as a Catholic university,” added Rachel Novick, education and outreach program manager in the . “Climate change disproportionately impacts those who are poor and vulnerable — who have contributed the least to our environmental problems and have the least capacity for adaptation. During this year’s Earth Hour, we are focusing in particular on solidarity with island nations facing enormous challenges due to sea level rise.”

The habitability of low-lying island states such as Kiribati, Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands and the Maldives is threatened by sea level rise, and a number of these nations have already begun setting aside funds and initiating negotiations to purchase land in other countries in order to relocate their populations. Citizens of these nations stand to lose their homelands as well as their indigenous cultures.

Earlier this semester, , the , and the Office of Sustainability co-sponsored a screening of the award-winning documentary “Sun Come Up.” The film follows the experiences of the Carteret Islanders, a community living on a remote island chain off Papua New Guinea that is forced to relocate due to sea level rise. For Earth Hour, GreeND is continuing the focus on island communities by joining the for its annual Lu’au.

“We hope students will take the opportunity to turn off their own lights and head over to the Lu’au this Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Stepan Center,” said Elizabeth Davis, co-president of GreeND. "’Sun Come Up’ gave us an opportunity to see up close the impact of climate change on island communities. On Saturday night, we’re excited to celebrate island culture as we work to preserve it.”

For more information, visit green.nd.edu.

The University of Notre Dame has purchased four high-efficiency Smart Cars that are being used by the University’s Mail Services and Department of Development staff located in Eddy Street Commons.

“We just got our Smart Car and we’re very excited,” said Carol Denney, manager of campus mail distribution. “We’re going to use it for the routes that go over to Eddy Street Commons, whereas before we had to use a van to cross Angela Blvd.”

“We picked ours up this week and have been very pleased thus far,” said Micki Kidder, assistant vice president for development. “Because golf carts are not allowed to cross Angela Blvd., the Smart Cars will provide a quick, easy and environmentally friendly alternative for our staff to travel between campus and Eddy Street Commons. We are thrilled to support the University’s sustainability efforts and provide our employees with an effective mode of transportation.”

The Smart Car is one of the most economical cars on U.S. roads today, with an average of 33 miles per gallon for city driving and 41 miles per gallon on the highway. It also is classified as an ultra-low emissions vehicle. For the last several years, Transportation Services has been working to improve the fuel efficiency of the University fleet by purchasing hybrid cars and electric golf carts, while retiring old and inefficient vehicles. The Smart Cars will help to continue that trend by further raising the fleet’s average fuel efficiency.

In celebration of this partnership, the Office of Sustainability will host Smart Car on the Irish Green Friday (Oct. 29) from 4 to 6 p.m. Smart Car will have a 40-foot interactive trailer on display to teach visitors about the vehicles.

Contact: Erin Hafner, Office of Sustainability, ehafner@nd.edu