Welcome

Simple Ideas Can Change the World

Currently the world uses over 85 million barrels of petroleum per day. With global primary energy demand growing at a rate of 1.6% per year, overall demand will double during the next 40-50 years. In addition, the IEA estimates that we need to introduce more than 30% zero-carbon fuels into the global energy pool to stabilize atmospheric CO₂ levels at 450 parts per million during that time span.

So, how do we balance the need to bring stable and plentiful energy to a global population in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner?  By attacking the problem and seizing the opportunity from all sides: innovation, conservation and most of all commitment and co-operation.

This year, Earth Hour took place on Saturday March 23, 8:30pm.  Very simply, Earth Hour is a time when people around the world turn off the lights for one hour.  The purpose of this simple act is to bring awareness to our global need to take care of our planet.  The concept is simply to come together globally to take action, be inspired and then translate that moment of inspiration into action throughout the year.  For me – it is an hour to not only remember that we must care for our planet and its natural resources – but also a reminder that more than a billion people today do not have access to electricity.  Imagine that life…no running water, no way to read at night, no way to keep food refrigerated…    

Earth Hour started in one city, Sydney, Australia, nine years ago.  Today, it is the largest movement for the planet in human history, spanning 7,001 cities, 152 countries with a digital reach of 200 million. It shows you how a small team of determined people can take a simple new idea and inspire a global movement for change. As always with anything a little different, there is a lot of negative press surrounding taking this simple action; but that is expected as with all things new, there are always calls for inaction.  So many reasons to do absolutely nothing, to support the status quo and to hope that everything will be magically better despite that.  

LanzaTech chooses to act.  Developing a technology that can change the future of fuels and chemicals isn't enough.  We must also lead by example and be conscious of the impact of everything we do every single day.  So on Friday March 22, at every one of our global locations, we observed Earth Hour Day by trying to cut back on our use of resources for the day. We also encouraged our staff, their families and our business partners to take part in Earth Hour on March 23.

Of course turning off the lights for one hour isn’t going solve the world’s energy problems.  We need to combine personal consciousness with bold new ideas that promise real solutions through energy efficiency and new renewable energy technologies.

LanzaTech continues to execute on the vision that we can meet the world’s growing energy needs, enabling sustainable industrial growth while at the same time ensuring that all people across all global economies have equal access to clean energy. 

To me, Earth Hour is much, much more than a symbolic action of switching off lights for an hour; it’s a continuous movement driving actions, big and small, that are changing the world we live in.   "Be the change you want to see."

Jennifer Holmgren
CEO LanzaTech