Earth Hour 2009

A Bold Statement for the Earth. A Bold Step On Your Personal Journey of Sustainability

 

On March 28, 2009 at 8:30 p.m., tens of millions of people in more than 400 cities in over 74 countries around the world will come together once again to make a bold statement about their concern about climate change by doing something quite simple-turning off their lights for one hour.  Earth Hour symbolizes that by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in the fight against climate change. According to GGIS editor Mandy Schmitt, “Initiatives like Earth Hour are important to take part in for our own personal journey as we strive to go green in our personal lives.  It sends a message that I care about this issue and opens doors to find solutions to the escalating climate crisis.” 

 

Leading the Charge

Earth Hour was first celebrated two years ago in Sydney, Australia, when 2.2 million people and thousands of businesses turned out their lights, allowing the message about climate change to shine brightly. In March 2008, Earth Hour went global. More than 400 cities, thousands of businesses and over 50 million people around the world turned off their lights for one hour to demonstrate their commitment to slowing the effects of climate change. An estimated 36 million Americans reported participating.

 

The movement captured the public’s imagination with lights going out at some of the world’s most iconic landmarks including the Sydney Opera House, Bangkok’s Wat Arun Buddhist temple, the Coliseum in Rome, Stockholm’s Royal Castle, London’s City Hall, New York’s Empire State Building, Sears Tower in Chicago and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Other symbols going dark included Cola-Cola’s famous billboard in Times Square and the Google homepage. The Earth Hour USA website received more than 7 million unique visitors during the week leading up to event, and the official video, narrated by actor Jeremy Piven, was viewed on YouTube nearly 800,000 times in less than 72 hours. Earth Hour’s myspace page was viewed 150,000 times.

 

Stories about the event were featured on Oprah!, NBC Nightly News, Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Evening News, CNN, NPR, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Miami Herald, San Francisco Chronicle, Time.com, Yahoo.com and more.

 

In 2009 Earth Hour Goes from Big to Bigger!

Already cities in 74 countries around the world have committed to Earth Hour 2009. Flagship cities in the U.S. include: Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco. They will join international cities such as: Abu Dhabi, Amman, Auckland, Beijing, Bogota, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dubai, Guatemala City, Edinburgh, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Kiev, Kuala Lumpur, Lisbon, London, Manila, Mexico City, Moscow, Oslo, Rome, Singapore, Shanghai, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Vancouver, Wellington and Warsaw. We hope to touch a billion people with the event in 2009.

 

From melting glaciers to increasingly intense weather patterns, climate change is already impacting life on our planet.  To alter the course of climate change we must act now. One person committed to reducing energy consumption can make a difference, but millions working together can change the world.

Brought to you by Mandy Schmitt, GGIS Editor and Co-chair Earth Hour Atlanta on behalf of the Earth Hour US Team

 

One hour – Earth Hour. Turn off. Take action.   www.EarthHourUs.org