Friday, March 20, 2009

Earth Hour

Do you know what is "Earth Hour"?

Earth Hour is an annual international event created by the World Wide Fund for Nature/World Wildlife Fund (WWF), held on the last Saturday of March, that ask households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights and electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change. It was pioneered by WWF Australia and the Sydney Morning Herald in 2007 and it achieved worldwide participation in 2008.

In this year which is 2009, Earth Hour has been transformed into the world's first global election, between Earth and global warning.

  • 168 cities commit to Earth Hour 2009 since launch
  • 6 additional national capitals pledge their support for ‘lights out’ campaign
  • Scotland joins the growing list of countries promising to flick the switch


The cities which already listed to participate in Earth Hour 2009 include Cape Town, Chicago, Copenhagen, Dubai, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Las Vegas, Lisbon, London, Los Angeles, Manila, Mexico CIty, Moscow, Nashville, Oslo, Rome, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, and Warsaw. The new additions to the list of cities participating in Earth Hour 2009 span the globe; from South America, to Europe, to Asia, to the South Pacific, including national capitals Beijing in China, Edinburgh in Scotland, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Kiev in the Ukraine, Bogota in Columbia and Wellington in New Zealand.

For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

This election is not same with any other election in history, it is not about what country you’re from, but instead, what planet you’re from. VOTE EARTH is a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community. A call to stand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday.

We all have a vote, and every single vote counts. Together we can take control of the future of our planet, for future generations. VOTE EARTH by simply switching off your lights for one hour, and join the world for Earth Hour.

Be part of the Earth Hour - tell your friends, tell your story. Make a difference!

Saturday 28 March 2009, 8.30pm-9.30pm