Earth Hour 2011

I’m just one person, what can I do about this?

Through the symbolic act of switching off our lights for one hour [or longer] on Saturday 26 March from 8.30 - 9.30pm [local time] we will collectively send our clarion call for change around the globe, with a message that we want cleaner energy…NOW.

You don’t need to be an expert…you just need to be you and do your part.

Hundreds of millions of people in thousands of cities and towns in every continent will speak out with one voice.

‘If there was one hour that mattered and one name that counted, it would be yours” —Archbishop Tutu

Lights will go out around the world on Saturday from Hayward California, to Beijing’s Forbidden City to a tiny village in the Arctic where they usually keep street lights blazing to ward off polar bears.

Take this opportunity to join me and the people from all corners of the globe so that we can send a most powerful message on climate change. The united message we will be sending  is,

"Enough is Enough... We must stop the destruction of our planet!"

This “Earth Hour”,  when everyone is asked to turn off lights starting at 8.30 p.m. your local time — is meant as a show your support for tougher action to confront climate change.

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries/territories participating. Global landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, CN Tower in Toronto, Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.

A record 128 countries and territories joined the global display of climate action. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Asia Pacific to Europe and Africa to the Americas switched off. People across the world from all walks of life turned off their lights and came together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common – our planet.

Landmarks going dim have included Rome’s Trevi Fountain, Big Ben in London, the Sphinx in Egypt, the Empire State Building in New York and the new Burj Khalifa tower.

Everyone around the world with electricity is urged to turn off the lights at home.

Last year the target was to involve at least a billion people of the world’s 6.8 billion —Organisers have concluded that “hundreds of millions” took part.

On Saturday 27 March, Earth Hour 2010 became the biggest Earth Hour ever.

Longyearbyen, a Norwegian village about 1,000 kms from the North Pole, joined in for the first time last year— the local authorities had previously refused citing that having street lights on is a way to ward off polar bears.

“No one wants to run into a polar bear in the dark, among the first victims of climate change if the Arctic melts.”

There is only one planet, and if we use up alls its resources there will be no one to bail us out.

This has become the largest grassroots movement in the world and people of the world are speaking with an unmistakable message, just check out the timeline:

2004

WWF Australia begins to look at new ways to take climate change mainstream after being confronted with serious scientific data

WWF Australia meets with advertising agency, Leo Burnett Sydney to discuss ideas for engaging Australians on the issue of climate change

2005

A campaign based on hope not fear, and the idea that everyone can take personal responsibility for the future of the planet we live on, is envisioned

WWF Australia and Leo Burnett Sydney start developing the concept of a large scale switch off. The project has the working title, "The Big Flick"

2006

Leo Burnett is tasked with the challenge of coming up with a campaign name that represents more than simply flicking off lights –Earth Hour is born. The Earth Hour name allows the campaign to broaden the focus from “lights out” to sustainability

WWF Australia and Leo Burnett Sydney take the concept of Earth Hour to Fairfax Media asking Fairfax to back the event – they agree

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP agrees to support

Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth movie is released bringing worldwide attention to the issue of climate change

The Stern Report, which discusses the effects of climate change and global warming on the world economy, is released in October. Words of warning for what lays ahead from an economist – not from a scientist - sends a warning to governments globally about the cost of ignoring the threat of climate change

31 March 2007

The inaugural Earth Hour is held in Sydney Australia 7.30pm - 8.30pm, 2.2 million Sydneysiders and 2,100 businesses participate

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) releases a report highlighting the risks of rising temperatures, further highlighting the need for urgent solutions

April 2007

Plans are developed to make Earth Hour a national event in Australia, but international interest is high and cities began signing up to the next Earth Hour campaign

29 March 2008

Earth Hour is held in 371 cities and towns in more than 35 countries globally at 8pm-9pm. A highly conservative estimate concludes that 50 million people participate. This number could have been as high as 100 million people

28 March 2009

Earth Hour held on Saturday March 28 at 8.30pm-9.30pm. Hundreds of millions of people in more than 4,000 cities and towns across 88 countries switched off their lights for one hour, creating a visual mandate for action on climate change effectively kick-starting the world’s first global vote.

July 2009

Earth Hour's Vote Earth campaign releases the Vote Earth symbol calling on citizens of the world to show their vote for Earth over Global Warming.

November 2009

Earth Hour’s Vote Earth launches The People’s Orb, a shimmering silver sphere encasing a 350 gigabyte hard drive with video, images and documents representing the hundreds of millions of people who voted Earth to call for action on climate change. A tangible representation of the voice of the world’s people, The People’s Orb relays from Sydney to Copenhagen in the care of a variety of custodians ranging from former heads of state to iconic rock stars.

December 2009

Global awareness of climate change soars to unprecedented levels during an historic meeting of 192 nations at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. Vote Earth campaign culminates on 16th December with Earth Hour Copenhagen. The People’s Orb, is entrusted to UN Chef de Cabinet, Vijay Nambiar to be presented to world leaders. The People’s Orb takes centre stage in the plenary on the final day of the conference alongside UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, in front of President of the United States, Barack Obama, Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, COP President and Climate Minister Connie Hedegaard and over 100 heads of state.

27 March 2010

Earth Hour is held on Saturday March 27 at 8.30pm-9.30pm and succeeds in being a global call to action to stand up, to take responsibility, and lead the global journey to a sustainable future. A record 128 countries and territories take part and iconic buildings and landmarks from Asia Pacific to Europe and Africa to the Americas stand in darkness.

26 March 2011

Earth Hour will be held on Saturday March 26 at 8.30pm-9.30pm wherever you are in the world. This Earth Hour we want you to go beyond the hour, to think about what else you can do to make a difference when the lights turn back on. 

Together our actions add up. [source]

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