A big thank you to everyone who joined Tourism Tattler’s call to unite for Earth Hour 2014.
Millions of people in more than 150 countries and 7000 cities across all 7 continents came together for Earth Hour 2014 on 29 March at 8:30PM local time.
To view the Earth Hour movement in action, visit the official website at http://www.earthhour.org/live
Co-founded six years ago by Andy Ridley in Sydney, Australia and in association with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Earth Hour’s mission is three-fold:
- To bring people together through a symbolic hour-long event;
- To galvanise people into taking action beyond the hour;
- And to create an interconnected global community sharing the mutual goal of creating a sustainable future for the planet.
This year in particular, Earth Hour Blue – the all-new global crowdfunding and crowdsourcing platform for the planet, is an even greater opportunity for you to contribute to making real change and tangible impact among your communities, customers, staff, cities, countries and collectively, the world.
JOIN THE HOUR
The best way to get involved is to simply take part in Earth Hour’s lights off event itself.
The hour-long event starts on 29 March 2014, at 8:30PM local time. Read the WWF toolkit here for more information on how you can mobilise your employees.
EVERY ACTION COUNTS
Show your support by adding the official Earth Hour logo to your website, social media profile or your blog. Logo’s can be downloaded at www.earthhour.org/earth-hour-starter-kit
The following African countries participated in Earth Hour Blue 2014:
Kenya first took part in Earth Hour in 2009 and is organised by WWF. The highlight in 2011 was a high-level cocktail reception, a public music concert, and the support that Kenya received from world champion athletes. Read more at: www.earthhour.org/kenya
Since Madagascar’s first Earth Hour celebration, the event has been growing every year. After 2013’s devastating Hurricane Haruna, we distributed 1,000 fuel efficient stoves to people in the hardest hit areas. This year we plan to do even more. Read more at: www.earthhour.org/madagascar
Through the initiative of Association Civique Midlands (ACM) and with the support of the Sydney movement, Mauritius became the first country in Southern Hemisphere outside of Australia to celebrate the Earth Hour in 2007 at Domaine de Lagrave. Read more at: www.earthhour.org/mauritius Click HERE for the Facebook link.
WWF-Nigeria’s Earth Hour team has reached about 30 million in the country with an awareness campaign on major environmental problems in Nigeria such as deforestation and climate change. Read more at: www.earthhour.org/nigeria Click HERE for the Facebook link.
WWF-South Africa is asking individuals and organisations to make a public promise to the Earth by thinking about their choices around food, water and energy use, and understanding how these impact on the environment. Each time a promise is posted on the “How do you honour the Earth” online platform at wwf.org.za, a virtual planet will be restored from degraded to beautiful. The platform also allows users to see the promises of other people and organisation and to share them on social media, with the intention of creating a conversation and momentum for the environment. Click HERE for the Facebook link.
Swaziland joined Earth Hour in 2011 and is coordinated by Nathi Mzileni and his school’s environmental group, Green Enviro. Earth Hour inspired the country to save 13.04 megawatts hours of electricity during the event. The country’s electricity utility reported a 9.6 percent decrease in the demand of electricity during Earth Hour, as more than 9,700 people participated. Celebrations were held at Simunye; where Simunye National Library and Simunye Country Club switched off. The country’s capital was also an official city to participate. Celebrations at the capital were held at the Public Service Pension Fund building, where the power was shut down in one of the cities major buildings. Read more at: www.earthhour.org/swaziland Click HERE for the Facebook link.
Earth Hour in Uganda is an exciting mobilisation tool that draws attention to the plight of the planet. Through initiatives like the Earth Hour Forest, there is an opportunity to unite people around a common purpose. Read more at: www.earthhour.org/uganda Click HERE for the Facebook link.
VIDEO
Earth Hour – Why your should switch off your lights (Inforgraphic from Jones Oil):
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Why You Should Switch Off Your Lights for Earth Hour [Infographic] – By the team at Jones Oil
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