Earth Hour Pilipinas

Earth Hour 2011: Growing Beyond the Hour

Earth Hour’s global switch off to highlight momentous action for Earth

100 days out from the annual ‘lights out’ event, Earth Hour Philippines 2011 prepares to showcase a growing Filipino community committed to taking environmental actions that go beyond the hour.

From its inception as a single-city initiative in 2007, Earth Hour has grown into a global movement where hundreds of millions of people from every continent join together to acknowledge the importance of protecting our planet. Inspired by thousands of stories of people going beyond the hour,  Earth Hour 2011 will ask individuals, businesses and governments the world over to add more to the annual switch off by showcasing how they are taking action to preserve their environment.

Earth Hour 2011 asks people from all countries to:

• Switch off your lights for Earth Hour at 8.30pm, Saturday 26 March 2011 and celebrate your commitment to the planet with the people of the world.
• Sign up and Share stories of your actions that benefit the planet on earthhour.org.
• Sustain your actions beyond the hour.

“Earth Hour’s rapid growth over four years has proven that hundreds of millions people want to do more to protect their planet.” said Andy Ridley, Co-founder and Executive Director of Earth Hour.

“Whether it’s a child changing a classroom or a president changing a country, people, organizations and governments everywhere are invited to switch off their lights for Earth Hour 2011 and commit to taking action beyond the hour,” Ridley said.

In February, earthhour.org will launch a platform enabling participants to share stories of what they’re doing or plan to do to make a real difference to their environment in the year ahead, showing that, no matter how big or small, together our actions add up.

Earth Hour 2010 was the largest voluntary action for the environment in history with lights going out across 128 countries and over 4500 cities worldwide. Earth Hour 2011 will again see hundreds of millions of people across all continents come together to celebrate an unambiguous commitment to the planet by switching off their lights for one designated hour.

The 100-day countdown to Earth Hour 2011 has begun, the iconic ‘lights out’ event that has seen some of the world’s most recognized landmarks, including the Forbidden City, Eiffel Tower, Buckingham Palace, Golden Gate Bridge, Table Mountain, Christ the Redeemer statue and SM Mall of Asia switch off in a global celebration of the one thing that unites us all – the planet.

Earth Hour Philippines 2011 is sponsored by the Yuchengco Group of Companies, Coca-Cola Philippines under its Live Positively platform, McDonald’s and SMART Communications. Official media champions as of February 2011 include the Discovery Channel, TV5, Net-25, CLTV-36, Solar TV, BusinessMirror, Mega Publishing Group,  Aftercall Magazine, QCreativs, Globaltronics and Click the City.

About Earth Hour

Earth Hour is a global initiative in partnership with WWF.  Individuals, businesses, governments and communities are invited to turn out their lights for one hour on Saturday March 26, 2011 at 8:30 PM to show their support for environmentally sustainable action. The event began in Sydney in 2007, when 2 million people switched off their lights. By 2010, Earth Hour had created history as the largest voluntary action ever witnessed with participation across 128 countries and every continent, including the world’s most recognized man-made marvels and natural wonders in a landmark environmental action. Earth Hour Philippines debuted in 2008 and has since grown into one of the largest annual events in the country, with over 15 million participants in 2010 alone.

About WWF

WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with almost five million supporters and a global network active in more than 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

For more information:

Atty. Gia Ibay
Earth Hour Philippines National Director
gibay@wwf.org.ph

Gregg Yan
Earth Hour Philippines Communications
gyan@wwf.org.ph

Youtube user, katkaterz, created a wonderful video presentation for the official Earth Hour Philippines Theme, “If We Try”. You have our heartfelt appreciation for doing this, katkaterz!

From the Earth Hour Pilipinas Team

Sectors and Communities Urged to Switch to More Responsible Lifestyles

With El Niño wreaking havoc on the nation’s water, food and power supply, this year’s Earth Hour has assumed special significance.

“El Niño is drying up our farms, aquifers and water reservoirs; this is a stark reminder of the perils of global warming,” explained Yeb Saño, newly-appointed Climate Change Commissioner and Earth Hour National Director. “The symbolic act of together switching off our lights for one hour signifies our potential to make a difference if we take united and sustained action in terms of best energy practices and more responsible lifestyles.”

Earth Hour, the world’s largest social mobilization event for two successive years, conveys a powerful symbolic call to action on climate change by urging individuals, corporations, institutions and communities to turn off their lights for 60 minutes. This year, from 8:30PM to 9:30PM on March 27, around one billion people across time zones all over the world are expected to take part in this massive display of solidarity for the planet.

In 2009, the Philippines ranked first among 88 nations in terms of local participation in Earth Hour. Over 10 million Filipinos in 647 cities and municipalities switched off their lights during Earth Hour, saving an estimated 611MWh of electricity – equivalent to a temporary shutdown of a dozen coal-fired power-plants. This year, the event organizers – WWF-Philippines, the Department of Energy, Green Army Network Foundation and SWITCH Movement – aim to mobilize 15 million Filipinos in 1000 towns, cities and municipalities to take a symbolic stand against climate change.

Roadshows Drum Up Support

Toward this end, Energy Secretary Angelo T. Reyes is leading an Earth Hour roadshow to tap key stakeholders and networks nationwide. In Davao, Iloilo, Cebu, Baguio, Bataan, and various various cities of Metro Manila, thousands of stakeholders, representing multi-sectoral groups, gathered to lend their collective support to Earth Hour.

“The response to our call for support has been heartwarming,” Reyes said. “Whenever the Earth Hour roadshow visits a town or city, people bring in new energy. Unique ideas are born. Support streams in. In the wake of recent natural calamities and the challenges wrought by El Niño, it is encouraging to see the Filipino spirit of Bayanihan shining through. We’d like to harness that spirit to effect massive adoption of efficient energy practices – such as switching to compact flourescent bulbs and biofuels and encouraging local investments in solar, wind, mini-hydro, biomass and other sources of renewable energy.”

Emphasizing the inter-relationshop between climate change and energy, Secretary Reyes added: “Understanding the impact of energy on climate change requires not just a review of our energy policy and programs, but also a review of how energy is used.”

The roadshow is slated to hit Ilocos Norte, Laguna, Bicol, Puerto Princesa in Palawan, Tuguegarao and Clark in the next two weeks.

Mob Dance Surprises Onlookers

To further generate interest in Earth Hour among the youth, WWF mounted the first in a series of flash mob dances along the SM Mall of Asia Baywalk in Pasay City. In twos and threes, over 100 dancers emerged from the crowd to execute a lively dance routine – to the delight of hundreds of onlookers.

The dance culminated in a gigantic ‘60’ formation – signalling the 60 minutes of Earth Hour. The video of the mob dance is now spreading rapidly through Youtube.com, Facebook.com and various social networking sites. It may be seen on Youtube.com under ‘Earth Hour Mob Dance at Mall of Asia.’ A second mob dance took place on 13 March at the Serendra High Street in Fort Bonifacio.

Massive Support From Public and Private Sector

“Every day, our roster of allies grows,” notes Green Army Secretary General Dr. René Azurin. Official Earth Hour 2010 partners include Ipanema, Motolite, the Century Pacific Group, Sustagen, Philips, Meralco, Arthaland, Shell, First Gen, Energy Development Corporation, McDonald’s, Jollibee, SM Malls, Ayala Malls, Bonifacio Global City, Shangri-La Hotels, GMA-7, ABS-CBN, Net-25, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star, Infinit-1 Communications, FocusMedia Audiovisuals, Leo Burnett, ECC International, Dig It All, Friendster, Discovery Channel and the National Geographic Channel.

Catherine Maceda of the SWITCH Movement says, “While the Philippines accounts for only .29% of the world’s energy-related CO2 emissions, the massive outpouring of support from all sectors of Philippine society shows that Filipinos have embraced their role as advocates in finding a global solution to the climate crisis.”

Sectoral consultations have been yielding strong commitments for more sustained efforts on climate change. Amongst the groups that have pledged commitments are the Archdiocese of Manila, University of the Philippines, Technological University of the Philippines, Manila Doctors College, Silliman University, Asian College of Science and Technology, Colegio de Santa Catalina de Alexandria, Foundation University, St. Paul University Dumaguete, REACT, Philippine Business for Social Progress, Ortigas Foundation, Girl Scouts of the Philippines, Manila Jaycees, Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines, Philippine Science Centrum, World Youth Alliance, Habitat for Humanity and Gawad Kalinga.

Other companies that have pledged support include the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Shangri-La Hotels, the Ascott Group, Dusit Thani Manila, Hilton Cebu, Robinsons Malls, Chevron, Abenson, Chowking, Unilever, Globe, PLDT, BME, PhilBIO, Piandré and Toyota.

Earth Hour Philippines (EHP) continues to call on corporations, national agencies, local government units, schools, villages and individuals to participate in the massive global event. All Filipinos are urged to register at www.wwf.org.ph/earthhour/vote and to make known how they intend to participate in Earth Hour by emailing the Earth Hour team at ehp2010secretariat@gmail.com and visiting http://www.wwf.org.ph/earthhour.

Earth Hour Photo Contest Slated

To broaden avenues for Earth Hour participation this year, organizers are launching an EHP visual documentation contest in three categories: (a) cell phone photos (b) digital camera photos, and (c) videos. The contest is open to all Filipinos aged 15 and above. All entries should capture the spirit of Earth Hour in any of the Earth Hour 2010 events nationwide.

To qualify, contestants must register via SMS through 5777. Their respective mobile numbers will serve to tag any number of entries.

Photo entries, taken with digital cameras, must be printed on an 8R template and sent with a copy in CD format. Cellphone photos must be printed on a 4R template and sent with a copy in CD format. The CD must contain the name, registered mobile number, address, email, category and signature of the contestant. Contestants may caption photos.

Video entries must be one to three minutes long and submitted as an mpeg or avi file, with live or recorded audio or music, burned into a DVD, and stored in a hard plastic DVD case. Name, registration number, address, email, mobile number, category and signature of the contestant must be written on both DVD and its case.

Photo and video entries must be submitted (or at least postmarked if sent through mail on the said date) by 31 March 2010. All entries should be addressed to the Earth Hour Secretariat, 6/F PNOC Building 6, Energy Center, Merritt Road, Ft. Bonifacio, Taguig City, Metro Manila. Winners will be notified by text and email.

Naderev ‘Yeb’ Saño
Earth Hour Philippines National Director
nmsano@wwf.org.ph

Gregg Yan
Earth Hour Philippines Communications Head
gyan@wwf.org.ph

Mika Palileo
Earth Hour Philippines Secretariat
840-2134 / 789-76622 loc. 5200
ehp2010secretariat@gmail.com

7pm, March 13, 2010 at Fort Bonifacio Global City’s High Street

This was the second flash mob dance done for Earth Hour Philippines. All dancers were volunteers who wanted to use their awesome moves for a good cause. Good job guys!

Check out the first mob dance at the SM Mall of Asia

Earth Hour Philippines 2010 Theme – If We Try by WWF-Philippines

In the lead up to Earth Hour 2010, it is our aim to disseminate the urgency of global warming and climate change to all sectors of society through the use of various communication tools – one such tool is this mob dance.

It’s high time we do more than just to TURN OFF OUR LIGHTS.