Actually, Mr. Guetta, you’re wrong – it’s everyone’s, and the upcoming global event, Earth Hour, is testament to this. It all started in sunny Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses turned their lights off for one hour to make their stand against climate change. The cause didn’t only strike a chord with hippy dippy Aussies, though, and only a year later, Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries taking part.
Global landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, The CN Tower in Toronto, The 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. In March 2009, over 4,000 cities in 88 countries officially switched off to pledge their support for the planet, making Earth Hour 2009 the world’s largest global climate change initiative.
Earth Hour 2010 will take place on Saturday March 27th at 8:30 p.m. (local time) and is a global call to action to every individual, business and community throughout the world. It’s a call to stand up, to take responsibility, to get involved and lead the way towards a sustainable future. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Europe and Asia to the Americas will stand in darkness, as people across the world from all walks of life will turn off their lights and join together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common – our planet. Earth Hour has done much to raise awareness of climate change issues so far, but there’s more to it than switching off lights for one hour once a year. It’s about giving people a voice concerning the future of our planet and working together to create a sustainable low carbon future for us all.
Earth Hour is organized by WWF, and with almost 5 million supporters and a global network in over 100 countries, it’s one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations. As you’re probably aware, the WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth’s natural environment and build a future where people live in harmony with nature. And you can’t argue with that.
Whether you’re an individual, a business, a school or a city, you can show your support for Earth Hour by turning off your lights at 8:30 p.m. on March 27th, wherever you are on the planet. Last year, 67 towns and villages turned off their public lights in Hungary, and this year more are hoped for. Across the country, people, businesses and institutions will be switching off, and the likes of the Parliament and Tatabánya’s Turul bird will stand in darkness.
Sign up at www.foldoraja.hu (Hun) and help make 2010 the biggest Earth Hour yet. We’ll be going light free… and we’re sure you can all come up with some fun stuff to do in the dark!
www.earthhour.org (Eng)