Monday, March 9, 2009

EARTH HOUR

With just 19 days left until we turn off the lights on March 28, Earth Hour is continuing to grow in the US and around the world. Here's a quick update on some of the recent developments:

A CAPITAL IDEA: Washington, D.C. will join nearly 1,000 cities around the world in going dark for Earth Hour. The word came last week from the District's Environment Director George Hawkins who said Earth Hour was "a symbolic but important step in showing the world we're serious about the climate." At 8:30 p.m., officials will turn off non-essential lighting on buildings and facilities owned by the city.

A TOTAL OF 44 U.S. CITIES AND TOWNS have now pledged to "turn out" for the largest climate event in history, with more signing up each day. A complete list of cities can be found at: EarthHourUS.org/map.php

BUT WHILE THE U.S. IS OFF TO A GOOD START... we've got some major catching up to do with countries much smaller than ours. Australia is the current leader with 144 cities signed up, but France is a close second with 137. Canada, boasting a total population about one-tenth of ours, has 96 cities signed up, while Italy has 77 and Denmark has 58. Come on, America! There's still plenty of time to bring Earth Hour to your hometown, school, campus or organization. Visit EarthHourUS.org/toolkits.php for tools, tips and information.
"U. S. A. ... U. S. A. ..."

EDWARD NORTON "VOTES EARTH"... The acclaimed actor and environmental activist supports WWF's climate change campaign by agreeing to become the official Earth Hour Ambassador for the US. He joins a list of notables that includes Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Janeane Garofalo, Melissa Etheridge, Alanis Morissette, Cate Blanchett, Jo Dee Messina, Vince Gill, Wynonna Judd, Amy Grant, Kathy Mattea and many more.

DRESSING TO GO DARK: Finally – the latest Earth Hour fashions, including t-shirts, hats, baby onsies and tote bags are available at EarthHourUS.org.

KIDS TURN OUT FOR EARTH HOUR: Get your children involved in saving the world through EarthHourKids.org. Here's a sampling of the fun to be found there:

  • Where in the World is Earth Hour? Worldwide. Just like New Years Eve, Earth Hour will travel from time zone to time zone starting at 8:30 pm in New Zealand. Around the planet we expect a thousand cities to participate. Teachers, students and families can learn more at EarthHourKids.org, and click on the following link to play our Geo Bee: EarthHourKids.org/whereintheworld.html.

  • Are you a conservationist? Teachers, students and families can learn more about ways to reduce their CO2 footprint and increase their energy efficiency at home and at school. On EarthHourKids.org, take our Earth Hour Power fun and quick quiz and find out your score at EarthHourKids.org/sur.html

  • Empower children to write to President Obama and Congress. Click on EarthHourKids.org/Write.pdf for everything you need to get started. Teachers, students and families can visit EarthHourKids.org to learn more about Earth Hour and climate change.

  • Earth Hour Everyday. How can one kid make a difference? Practice Earth Hour every day. Click to learn more and play our Memory Game: EarthHourKids.org/memory.html. Teachers, students and families can visit EarthHourKids.org to learn more about Earth Hour and climate change.

OUR SPONSORS ARE CERTAINLY DOING THEIR PART TO RAISE AWARENESS: Coca-Cola will publicize Earth Hour on its sign in Times Square and in cinema lobbies nationwide. Esurance has put its TV Earth Hour ad, starring Erin Esurance, into wide circulation on Comedy Central, BET, Discovery, E!, MTV, Nick at Nite and other channels. The Earth Hour message will appear on more than 500 Wells Fargo ATM screens in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas, Albuquerque and San Francisco.

WE'RE NOTHING WITHOUT YOU... AND YOUR FRIENDS... AND THEIR FRIENDS: Our planet urgently needs your help. Don't be shy about urging friends, family and any random people you happen to meet to support Earth Hour. All the details for turning out on March 28th at 8:30 pm and becoming part of this historic call for global action on climate change can be found at EarthHourUS.org.

When in doubt...VOTE EARTH! Thanks for your support.

The Earth Hour US Team

Earth Hour

Turn Out. Take Action.

March 28, 2009
8:30 pm
www.EarthHourUS.org
www.EarthHourKids.org

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for promoting Earth Hour! Another way you can recruit people to the cause is by creating a Earth Hour group on Commit21.com. Simply create a group about one action that you will commit to do for Earth Hour and recruit your friends, family, and co-workers to get involved in that action as well. When it comes to climate change, simple actions can make huge differences and Commit21 leverages social media to influence networks of friends, family, and co-workers. Check it out at www.commit21.com

Anonymous said...

boring

yourstrulydear said...

you're boring