Earth Hour 2009 - the countdown starts now.

 
Earth Hour 2009 - the countdown starts now.

New Zealand to lead the world with events from Invercargill to Whangarei 

Media Release                                                                                                    Friday 27 March, 2009

Tomorrow evening (Saturday), New Zealanders will be the first in the world to turn off their lights at the start of an extraordinary act of global solidarity and co-operation, involving nearly 3,000 towns and cities and a billion people around the world.

WWF’s Earth Hour™ 2009 will witness many of planet’s most important buildings and landmarks in nearly 3000 cities and towns going dark for one hour, including The Pyramids of Giza, The Eiffel Tower, The Acropolis and The Empire State Building.

At 8.30 pm on Saturday 28th March, forty-four cities, towns and regions in New Zealand, starting with The Chatham Islands, (see list below), will be leading the world with a rich tapestry of community activities and events, adding their voices to this global vote for the Earth’s future

They will be joined by many of New Zealand’s iconic buildings and places, large and small, including the Sky Tower, the Beehive, the Octagon in Dunedin, and clock towers and civic buildings across the country.  

Chris Howe, WWF-New Zealand’s Executive Director, emphasises the significance of the event globally. "Over a billion people in 3,000 towns and cities around the world will be speaking with one global voice, saying we care about the planet we live on, and we want action on climate change now."

WWF’s Dairne Poole, New Zealand’s Earth Hour Project Director, added ”What started last year as one New Zealand city taking part, has exploded this year, just as it has globally.Earth Hour is a moment in time when as a global community we can celebrate our planet and vote on its future.””

“We’re asking New Zealanders to switch off their lights and unnecessary appliances for one hour to cast a vote for the Earth’s future, but at the same time realise that there are easy energy savings to be made by doing small things differently. If we collectively take small steps together, on an ongoing basis, we really can effect positive change,” Ms Poole says.

“While the style and scale of celebrations vary hugely across the country, there is a common thread of awareness and resolve in all centres, which we believe is proof of a collective desire to take positive action for the environment,” she says.

“Events like those planned in Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin are going to be spectacular and enjoyable for the communities involved. At the same time hundreds of thousands of family homes, business premises and council offices will flick their switches in unison to join this growing global community,” says Ms Poole.

“We have Earth Hour in Antarctica, an Earth Hour wedding, stories by torchlight, candle lit banquets, a concert in front of more than 50,000 people and acoustic music events in several locations. There are movies in Nelson, stargazing in Hastings, and school children performing a human sculpture streamed live to the world from Central Otago. And these are just some of the events we know of,” she notes.

 “We know from last year’s experience in Christchurch, that people really enjoy the experience and that is a big part of what Earth Hour is about.”

 
-ends-

© Scoop Media