Earth Hour by Candlelight
With free natural wine and canapés to celebrate
(Auckland – 19 March 2008)
The Langham Auckland will celebrate Earth Hour by lighting the hotel with thousands of candles and holding a free public
event with live jazz music and complimentary wine and canapés.
Earth Hour takes place from 8.00pm – 9.00pm on Saturday 29 March. Earth Hour is a global movement celebrated by
millions of people across the world in international cities including Copenhagen, Toronto, Chicago, Melbourne, Brisbane
and Tel Aviv with the aim of raising awareness of climate change. The movement was initiated by WWF (World Wide Fund
for Nature).
The Langham will be extinguishing up to an estimated 3000 lights which will be replaced by thousands of natural,
non-carcinogenic, paraffin (petroleum) and chemical free, non-toxic, bio-degradable, New Zealand made soy candles.
The hotel will also be serving complimentary carbon-zero wine, canapés from sustainable locally grown ingredients and
the most environmentally-friendly water of all; tap water.
This event is a celebration of the green movement and is open to guests and all Auckland residents. Numbers are limited
and as complimentary beverages and canapés are provided, it is essential to register your attendance by emailing
tammy.hilton@langhamhotelscom.
Areas where lighting will be turned off include all exterior lighting, the outdoor pool, The Langham Club Lounge, and
the full public ground level (including the lobby, The Winery (lobby bar), Partingtons restaurant, SBF Brasserie and
guest bathrooms). Guests will be encouraged to turn their room lights and air-conditioning during Earth Hour but this
will remain the individual choice of the guest.
“We’re looking forward to a spectacular night, and believe the thousands of candles that will be used to light our hotel
will be an amazing sight to behold. For us this is about showing our commitment to environmental sustainability. We
still have a long way to go and this is just the beginning for the hotel,” said managing director Mr John Dick.
About The Langham Auckland’s Environmental movement:
Five-star property The Langham Auckland became New Zealand’s first hotel to achieve international Green Globe
certification last month (February 2008) and remains the only New Zealand hotel with this certification. Green Globe
is the environmental accreditation organisation for the travel and tourism industry and operates in 52 countries. The
Langham has also adopted a cradle to cradle approach with all procurements. Cradle to cradle involves looking at where
all items (local or overseas) and sourced, what they are sourced from (recycled material or renewable resources), how
they are manufactured (manufacturers processes and subsequent environmental impact), by whom and under what conditions
(ethical labour practices and working conditions from reputable clients). Where possible all products used by The
Langham need to be either recyclable or degradable.
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