February, 17 2010, 01:34pm EDT
The World Prepares to Participate in WWF's Earth Hour
WASHINGTON
On Saturday, March 27th at 8:30 p.m. local time, the
largest ever public demonstration for action on climate change will
take place as lights are symbolically turned off for one hour in homes,
office buildings, iconic landmarks, government buildings and retail
establishments across the globe for Earth Hour.
With
38 days left until Earth Hour 2010, the movement has already received
support from 656 cities, towns and municipalities in 80 countries
across every continent.
Citizens of the United States will unite
with individuals, businesses, civil groups and governments around the
world including Athens, Bangkok, Cape Town, Delhi, Dubai, Geneva, Hong
Kong, Istanbul, Manila, Moscow, Rome, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Tel
Aviv and Toronto. Communities will come together like never before with
cities such as Stockholm and Hiroshima holding their inaugural Earth
Hour.
"Earth Hour is inspiring millions of people all around the
world to join together and show their concern for the future of our
planet," said Leslie Aun, WWF's vice president for public relations and
the managing director for Earth Hour U.S. 2010. "Here in the U.S.,
Earth Hour sends a message that Americans are ready to turn out the
lights on pollution and climate change and make the switch to energy
independence and efficiency."
The Las Vegas Strip, Mount
Rushmore, Sea World, the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate
Bridge will join other iconic landmarks from around the world in
switching off the lights for Earth Hour. CN Tower in Toronto, Grand
Palace in Bangkok, Table Mountain in Cape Town, the London Eye,
Hiroshima Peace Memorial and Taipei 101 will plunge into darkness to
shed light on dangerous climate change.
In the U.S., many
organizations are rallying behind Earth Hour by turning off
non-essential lighting at their corporate headquarters including the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), The
National Latino Coalition on Climate Change (NLCCC) and The League of
United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). A full list of participating
organizations can be found here: https://www.myearthhour.org/supporters/org
Note to Editors:
Footage and photographs of Earth Hour 09 being observed are available upon request.
Photos and footage: https://www.myearthhour.org/news/for-media
Logos: https://www.myearthhour.org/tools
Earth Hour 2010 Video: https://www.myearthhour.org/earth-hour-video
Follow Earth Hour on twitter: www.Twitter.com/EarthHourUS
World Wildlife Fund is the largest multinational conservation organization in the world, works in 100 countries and is supported by 1.2 million members in the United States and close to 5 million globally. WWF's unique way of working combines global reach with a foundation in science, involves action at every level from local to global, and ensures the delivery of innovative solutions that meet the needs of both people and nature.
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