Earth Hour 2008

I received an email yesterday,from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) informing me of Earth Hour 2008.

(adapted and quoted from Earth Hour site)

Earth Hour started on 31st March 2007 in Sydney, Australia. On this day, for one hour, Sydney made a powerful statement about the greatest contributor to global warming – coal-fired electricity – by turning off its lights. Over 2.2 million Sydney residents and over 2,100 businesses switched off, leading to a 10.2% energy reduction across the city. What began as one city taking a stand against global warming caught the attention of the world.

In 2008, 24 global cities will participate in Earth Hour at 8pm on March 29. Earth Hour is the highlight of a major campaign to encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take the simple steps needed to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis. It is about simple changes that will collectively make a difference – from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty, to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby.


Photos are quoted from Reuters, UK.

Sightseers eat picnic dinners as they view Sydney's central business district after many lights were turned off during earth hour on March 29, 2008. (REUTERS/Tim Wimborne)

This combination of two images of the Sydney skyline were photographed at 8:20pm on March 28, 2008 (top) and during earth hour at 8:20pm on March 29, 2008. Thousands of lights that illuminate office buildings, public structures and monuments were switched off Saturday evening, darkening the city's iconic skyline for one hour, in an effort to publicise the effects of climate change. (REUTERS/Tim Wimborne)

Diners eat by candle light outdoors at a restaurant participating in the Earth Hour event in Manila March 29, 2008. As many as 30 million people are tipped to switch off lights and televisions around the world to help fight climate change with around 370 towns and cities in more than 35 countries taking part in the event, organisers say. (REUTERS/John Javellana )

A combo picture shows the Royal Castle in Stockholm, Sweden, moments before (top) and after the lights were switched off for Earth Hour, March 29, 2008. People switched off lights across the world on Saturday, dimming buildings, hotels, restaurants and bars to show concern at global warming. (REUTERS/Roger Vikstrom/Scanpix )

To find out what you can do to participate in this Earth Hour campaign, click here.