Crwys-Williams was responsible for instigating the Big-Switch Off campaign, which encouraged businesses and residents to switch off non-essential lighting and appliances for one hour in a symbolic gesture of the need to save energy.
During the winter of 2007, she used her afternoon radio show on Talk Radio 702 to tirelessly promote energy efficiency – both to help avoid unnecessary power cuts and to relieve the pressure we put on the environment.
One of the successes her campaign achieved was that Crwys-Williams made a demonstrable impact: visually, Sandton went dark for an hour and Eskom also measured a 5MW drop-off during the switch-off.
“I was bowled over by the incredible support the campaign received,” said Crwys-Williams. “It was very exciting to see how open and enthusiastic gigantic companies were to come to the party. The switch off proved that it is easy for massive companies to make a significant difference in conserving energy and in turn, give power to the people. They switched off but I think they were very switched on!”
