Three days out from the global switch-off event, Earth Hour has called on businesses and organisations to show their leadership by committing to lasting action for the planet when the lights come back on.

A record 131 countries and territories are registered to take part in Earth Hour this Saturday 26 March at 8:30pm local time, and many global organisations will join the hundreds of millions that are once again expected to take part.

“It is only through the collective action of business, organisations, individuals, communities and governments that we will be able to affect change on the scale required to address the environmental challenges we face,” said Andy Ridley, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Earth Hour.

“We are calling on businesses and organisations to use the annual lights-out event as the time to show their commitment to lasting action for the planet, beyond the hour,” Ridley said.

Corporate support has swelled, with industry leaders from the tourism, finance, media, food and beverage, telecommunications, real estate, and online sectors committing to participate in Earth Hour.

Earth Hour 2011 has garnered support from global companies and organisations as diverse as: Nokia, PWC, FIFA, the International Olympic Committee, Canon, Baidu, Naver, National Geographic Channel Asia, Bloomberg, Starcom, Mindshare Pocoyo, Clearchannel, Credit Suisse AG, Coca Cola, IKEA, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Hostel World and CB Richard Ellis.

This year marks the beginning of a new phase for Earth Hour – beyond the hour – with the launch of an online platform that aims to inspire and showcase positive actions the global community will take for the planet throughout the year. The platform, translated into 11 languages, allows businesses, governments and individuals all over the world to commit to an ongoing environmental action and share it to inspire others.

“We have developed this platform for people, organisations and companies around the world to show what can be done, by showcasing and sharing their actions throughout the year,” Ridley said.

Some companies have already shared their beyond the hour acts in advance of Saturday’s switch-off.

Leading Chinese internet company Baidu has pledged to reduce office resource consumption, including paper, water and electricity, by 30 percent from 2010 levels.

Credit Suisse AG became carbon neutral in 2010 through its global 'Credit Suisse Cares for Climate' initiative. This year, as well as sponsoring Earth Hour in Singapore, Credit Suisse AG will continue to go 'Beyond the Hour' by sending staff from various markets to a Brazilian forest reserve to support field research into the effects of climate change.

For Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, which includes hotel chains Westin, Sheraton and Le Méridien, Earth Hour represents an opportunity to focus on broader sustainability efforts and last year the company set targets to reduce energy and water consumption across all of their owned, managed and franchised properties by 2020. “This year’s theme emphasises what we all need to do once the lights come back on,” said Sandy Swider, Vice President of Global Citizenship, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. “It was inspiring to see how passionately our associates and guests all over the world embraced the spirit of Earth Hour last year, and they made a powerful statement about how each of us can make a difference.”

Visit www.earthhour.org/beyondthehour to view the actions of individuals and organisations, add your action for the planet, and celebrate it with the world by turning off the lights for Earth Hour 2011 at 8:30pm Saturday, 26 March.

ENDS

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