In its eighth year, WWF’s Earth Hour continues to defy expectations by mobilising hundreds of millions of people around different environmental priorities across the planet.
And now, in 2014, the movement further expands its digital and on the ground reach from the Amazon to the Arctic, and Tahiti to Tanzania, with a groundswell of action creating a massive impact around the world to shine a light on the incredible work being done to create a sustainable planet.
“Earth Hour has always been more than just about lights off, it’s about people from all walks of life coming together throughout the year to show what they can do to protect the planet,” said Andy Ridley, chief executive officer and co-founder of Earth Hour, from the movement’s home in Singapore.
Last year alone saw thousands of Argentinians petition to pass a senate bill to protect a marine area 28 times the size of New York City, while WWF-Uganda began the fight against the 6 000 hectares of deforestation that occurs in the country every month, by creating the first “Earth Hour Forest”.
In 2012, Russians also petitioned to get legislative change protecting the country’s seas from oil pollution and now are striving to protect an area of forest twice the size of France.
These Earth Hour success stories illustrate that the movement has become a global collaboration to show what can be achieved for the planet.
“What makes Earth Hour different is that it empowers people to take charge and to use their power to make a difference.
“The movement inspires a mixture of collective and individual action, so anyone can do their part,” said Ridley.
From creative campaigns to acoustic concerts, cyclothons to candlelit marches, flash mobs to dance performances and tree planting to recycling drives – this year people from all walks of life are uniting to become “Superheroes for the Planet” on the night, to celebrate Earth Hour 2014, in an effort to drive global action to protect the planet.
Earth Hour event activities will be amplified on islands across the world, with music becoming a major focus to inspire environmental action in the places on the forefront of climate change and sea level rise.
Reggae artists in Jamaica will perform an acoustic concert for the second year running and, in Tahiti, 5 000 people will gain entry to a massive acoustic concert at Stade Paster, by handing in a piece of recyclable waste they’ve collected to avoid landfill.
Participants all over the world will be asked to help WWF in Galapagos to protect the Galapagos Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage site, via a digital petition launched at the Earth Hour event.
This petition aims to reduce and eventually put a ban on plastic bags, disposable cups and straws across the islands.
“People from all walks of life, from all nations around the world, are the lifeblood of the Earth Hour global community,” said Ridley.
“They are true beacons of hope, demonstrating what happens when innovation and passion come together to address the biggest challenges of our time.
“They have proven time and time again that if you believe in something strongly enough, you can achieve amazing things.
“These stories aren’t unique, this is happening all over the world.”
From Earth Hour Global’s home – Singapore, at the heart of Asia – the recently launched Earth Hour Blue is a key example of global digital engagement.
The revolutionary platform for the planet allows anyone in any country to use their voice or their dollar to take action and support projects of their choice across the globe, encouraging participants to use their favourite social platforms to engage in their favourite crowdfunding and crowdsourcing projects.
As a newcomer to the crowdfunding scene, Earth Hour Blue has launched with WWF projects from Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, China, Nepal, India, Russia, Uganda, South Africa, Madagascar, Canada and Columbia, which are now all live on the crowdfunding platform powered by Crowdonomic.
The real engagement in Earth Hour Blue is expected to spike during the signature lights off event, when the strong call to action will be made to hundreds of millions of people to take their commitment beyond the hour by backing a crowdfunding project or getting involved in a crowdsourcing campaign once the lights go back on.
“We’re starting small, with around 20 projects this year, but our vision is to really expand once Saturday’s event has taken place,” said Ridley.
“The projects have been chosen based on their scalability, so even if the target has not been met, a small amount of funds raised will still help implement an outcome on-the-ground.”
Inspired by the beyond the hour activity, Earth Hour will this year ask participants to share how they are being “Superheroes for the Planet” via Instagram, Twitter and Facebook platforms promoting the #EathHour and #YourPower hash-tags.
This year, as millions of people watch lights going out around the world, famous landmarks confirmed to participate in the event include the Empire State Building, Tower Bridge – London, St Paul’s, Edinburgh Castle, Brandenburg Gate, the Eiffel Tower, The Kremlin and Red Square in Moscow, the Bosphorus Bridge connecting Europe to Asia, the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and many more.
Earth Hour takes place from 8.30pm to 9.30pm on Saturday.
Get involved and do your bit for the environment.
- Information from www.eathhour.org
