Media Release: Sunday 27th March 2011
Lights going out on Istanbul’s Bosphorus Bridge was a fitting way to mark Earth Hour’s transition from Asia to Europe.
The symbolic action of turning lights out for an hour in an expression of concern for the environment is in the process of being officially observed in thousands of communities across 134 countries and territories on all continents.
In Turkey, one of only a few countries to straddle two continents, the lights had earlier been switched off in capital Ankara’s Opera House. WWF-Turkey enlisted 250 businesses and corporations and 2,000 online supporters to support its Earth Hour efforts.
The CEO of WWF-Turkey Tolga Baştak, made his Earth Hour press speech while the lights of the Bosphorus Bridge were going dark.
“This year, the lights are going off for a different cause,” Baştak said, “we put great pressure on the natural resources of our planet and our ecological footprint exceeds the biological capacity by 50 per cent.
“If we continue living and consuming as usual, we would need two planets by 2030 and 2.8 planets by 2050. It is getting harder and more difficult each day to survive in our ‘global home’. We should try living in the resources that the planet supplies and respect the limits of one planet.
“Today, we ask everyone to take this opportunity to question how they can contribute to a living planet by making small changes in their lifetsyles and habits.”
With Russia’s main Earth Hour events in Moscow still eight hours away, WWF-Russia’s Polar Bear Patrol were commemorating Earth Hour by setting out from their base in the small village of Lavrentiy to the even smaller Uelento, the nation’s easternmost settlement on the Dezhnev Cape.
“We know Earth Hour very well,” said a spokesperson for the patrol unit. “As we get to Uelen, we will tell the villagers about this action and I'm sure, they will support us. We are glad that the ones who keep peace between the bears and humans and protect the Arctic animals will be the first ones in Russia to celebrate this global event.”
As the event traversed 11 timezones, riders in 20 cities saddled up on bicycles adorned with LED lamps - with the northernmost ride in Murmansk going ahead despite the forecasts of a strong snowstorm. The westernmost ride was staged in Archangelsk near the Finnish border. Over the border, the lights went out at the distinctive Helsinki cathedral, Finland and a special Tampere market place Energiatehdas (Energy factory) was set up with the energy being provided by dancers and stationary cyclists.
“These cyclists are heroes,” said WWF’s Russia office. “In Moscow it is minus eight degrees.”
Interviews:
To interview Andy Ridley, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Earth Hour, please contact:
Winston Su, Earth Hour Global, E: winstons@earthhour.org
Or the Earth Hour Global media team on Ph: +61 404 929 243, E: newsdesk@earthhour.org
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 territories and every continent, including the world’s most recognized man-made marvels and natural wonders in a landmark environmental action.
About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most experienced independent conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global Network active in more than 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the planet'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.
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