It’s that time of the year when unity can be seen across the globe as people switch off for Earth Hour this Saturday evening at 8.30-9.30 pm local time. Slovakia isn’t a huge participant in the project, with some retail chains like IKEA and Avion shopping centre joining the billions throughout the world, at least.
It is up to every individual whether they switch off electrical appliances for just one hour to help increase awareness of the over-consumption and misuse of energies and the planet. The rest of the world takes the idea seriously, and from the Eiffel Tower in Paris to the Empire State Building in New York City, the world’s tallest building the Burj Khalifa to the Leaning Tower in Pisa in Italy, the most visually captivating icons will go dark for Earth Hour 2012.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House, the first landmarks to ever go dark for the lights out event, will switch off for the sixth year straight, before landmarks across Asia including the Great Wall of China, the Bird’s Nest in Beijing, the Tokyo Tower, Taipei 101 and the Lumbini Sacred Garden in Nepal celebrate their actions for the planet.
The Indian subcontinent will undertake its biggest Earth Hour yet, as India Gate switches off before Earth Hour makes its way through the Middle East, where the world’s tallest building in Dubai will go dark for one hour.
Just five months after the end of the Libyan uprising, more than 600 individuals are expected to gather outside Libya’s Museum in the very first Earth Hour event in that country.
In another extreme, Earth Hour will extend to the International Space Station for the first time, where astronaut and WWF ambassador Andre Kuipers will experience Earth Hour watching over the planet for the the European Space Agency (ESA).
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has confirmed that the headquarters of the United Nations will be switching off as he urged the rest of the world to take part,“Turning off our lights is a symbol of our commitment to sustainable energy for all, we need to fuel our future with clean, efficient and affordable energy.”
“In 2012, Earth Hour is reaching further and wider than ever before and these landmarks will provide a visually spectacular reminder of what can be done when individuals, organisations and governments act together,” said Andy Ridley, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Earth Hour.
From the picturesque Table Mountains in Cape Town right up to National Library of Belarus, Europe and Africa will stand together. Dubrovnik city walls in Croatia, the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre in Paris, Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Vatican will also join the world’s largest voluntary action for the environment.
Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben in London will be the main landmarks in the United Kingdom to go dark, before Earth Hour makes its way across the Atlantic Ocean to South America, with Rio’s epic Christ the Redeemer statue and the Ángel de la Independencia in Mexico providing the backdrop for what will be some of the most spectacular celebrations for La Hora Del Planeta that night.
The Big Apple will also have its most famous landmarks take part, with the American Eagle and NASDAQ buildings in Times Square switching off, alongside New York City’s famous Empire State Building. The bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip will also go dark for the hour.
Director General of UNESCO Irina Bokova has also personally urged all 938 World Heritage across the globe to switch off on March 31 at 8:30 PM.
As an open sourced campaign, Earth Hour uses social media to connect a global community of people inspired to change the world we live in. Follow all of our stories on:
Earth Hour has grown from a one-city initiative in 2007, to a 5,251 city strong global movement, last year reaching 1.8 billion people in 135 countries across all seven continents.
Earth Hour 2012 will be held on Saturday March 31 at 8.30pm-9.30pm wherever you are in the world. So save the date and keep coming back to earthhour.org to find out what’s in store.
Source: EarthHour.org
Nobody in the West will even consider giving up their consumption overdrive lifestyle until they are enjoying 60 degree summers. We’ve saved the planet by turning a f*cking light bulb off. Hurrah! Ah here’s DHL with my latest truckload of electronic gadgetry flown in from Central China. Pass the sickbag.
“The Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House, the first landmarks to ever go dark for the lights out event, will switch off for the sixth year straight”.
Turn them off and keep them off, otherwise just a pathetic publicity stunt.
What and miss that educational and entertaining program on STV , Post for You ….are they all mad?