Earth Hour - Saturday March 31st 8:30pm
Royal Horseguardsmen are running on candlelight
The countdown to WWF's Earth Hour has well and truly begun, with a record 135 countries and territories taking part in what is set to be the greatest climate change event ever. Over 1,700 cities and towns across the globe will switch off lights at 8.30pm this Saturday to call for action on climate change.
Earth Hour aims to get one billion people across the world to switch off their lights from 8.30pm to 9.30pm. By switching off your lights you will be showing you care about climate change.
In Brentford the Royal Horseguardsmen are turning off their lights and drinking by candlelight. So turn off everything at home at pop down to your local for Earth Hour.
Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.
All seven continents of the world are signed up to take part in this year’s Earth Hour. The latest pledge of support comes from the research team at Davis Station – a remote scientific outpost in Antarctica where the effects of global warming are most evident.
New Zealand's Chatham Islands will be the first territory to start Earth Hour with the South Pacific Island of Samoa closing the sweep across the globe 24 hours later.
The world’s great man-made marvels and natural wonders will plunge into darkness including the Eiffel Tower, Brandenburg Gate, Hiroshima Peace Memorial, Empire State Building, Table Mountain, Christ the Redeemer statue, Sydney Opera House and the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa.
Countries and regions involved for the first time include the remote island nation of Madagascar, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Mongolia, Cambodia, Czech Republic, Paraguay, Ecuador and the US Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
“A huge symbol of global solidarity… An inspiring display of international commitment”. That’s how David Cameron described Earth Hour this year. The lights have been switching off in England for Earth Hour since 2008. Even more landmarks and iconic buildings than ever showed their support in 2011, from Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament to the National Theatre, Old Trafford, the Millennium Bridge and HMS Victory. In London Kirsty Gallacher led 60 cyclists in one of the largest ever human powered light projections attempted in the UK.
Around the country people are finding creative ways to get involved, whether it’s simply switching off the lights, or taking part in a special activity or event.
March 30, 2012