For one hour, between 7.30pm to 8.30pm, all of Sydney — including companies, government departments and households — are being asked to turn their lights off to mark the start of a 12-month campaign to reduce Sydney’s greenhouse gas emissions by 5 per cent.

Anton Herman, national director - pro bono & community investment at Minter Ellison, said there is no denying that Earth Hour is a symbolic gesture but it’s an important step in raising awareness.

“It plants the seed for other initiatives that can contribute to reduction of greenhouse gases. So even though the electricity saved will be minor when you look at it from an annual usage point of view, it’s the awareness factor — that by making some very low-pain changes you can achieve environmental gain,” he said.

Most firms are making more of an effort to adopt environmentally-friendly practices as part of their broader corporate social responsibilities.

Minter Ellison participates in the annual Corporate Responsibility Index, and is focused on reducing its greenhouse gas emissions through the Government’s Greenhouse Challenge.

“We, as part of our environment policy, have committed to purchasing green power, which is one of the main ways of reducing greenhouse emissions. Essentially there are two strategies: one is to use less electricity and the other is to source cleaner energy,” Herman said.

Freehills, Gadens and Middletons had not confirmed they were taking part in Earth Hour as Lawyers Weekly went to print.