An initiative for responsible conservation

[Guest guest]

http://www.mb.com.ph/node/198314

 

Earth Hour slated for March 28

By Jc Bello Ruiz

March 9, 2009, 7:27pm

Earth Hour, the yearly lights-out initiative calling for action on climate

change and energy conservation, will be observed this year on March 28 at

8:30 p.m. in key cities in the Philippines and all over the world.

Earth Hour 2009 hopes to sign up one billion participants from 1000 cities

all over the world to join this year’s event.

In the Philippines, some 10 million Filipinos and 500 businesses in key

cities and towns throughout the country are targeted to participate in the

initiative and switch their lights off for an hour for the observation of

Earth Hour this year.

For Earth Hour Philippines 2009, World Wide Fund for Nature-Philippines, the

Green Army Network and SWITCH movement joined hands with the Department of

Energy “to spread public awareness of the Earth Hour message to cities and

communities all over the country.”

“Earth Hour 2009 is a global call to action to every individual, every

business and every community. It is a call to stand up, to take

responsibility and to get actively involved in working towards a sustainable

future. People across the world will turn off their lights and join together

in creating a vital conversation about the future of our precious planet,”

the WWF-Philippines said in an article posted on its website (www.wwe.org.ph

).

“This lights-out initiative, which began in Sydney in 2007 as a one-city

environmental campaign, has evolved into a grassroots action that has

attracted worldwide attention. In 2008, 371 cities across 35 countries

turned their lights out in a united call for action on climate change and

energy conservation,” WWF-Philippines stated.

“Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome's

Colosseum and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square - all stood in

darkness, symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.”

WWF-Philippines said last year, the Philippines ranked 9th in terms of total

sign-ups.

The groups urge Filipinos to sign up at Earth Hour's global website:

www.earthhour.org.

“Over 1000 cities in 80 countries have now pledged support,” WWF-Philippines

aid.

" 2009 is a destiny year for the entire planet. This is the year that we

decide the future of humanity. Earth Hour is a message of hope and action

and we hope it sends a powerful message to both local and world leaders. It

is a global movement that proves that each one of us can make a difference.

Imagine what we can do if we act together, " WWF vice-chair and CEO Lory Tan

said.