Earth Hour 2012 will take place on March 31 from 8:30pm to 9:30pm . Earth Hour is a global event organized by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature, also known as World Wildlife Fund) and is held on the last Saturday of March annually, asking households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change.
In February, Earth Hour launched its 2012 campaign, “I Will If You Willâ€, with the intention of engaging its growing global community to go beyond the hour. Using a dedicated YouTube platform [5], IWIYW asks Earth Hour’s digital community to inspire people from all corners of the globe to take sustainability actions, and to share their commitment to the environment with their own social media networks.
“Earth Hour is your chance to vote for Earth by shutting down your lights between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. your local time,” the WWF website read.
The origin of the campaign can be traced back to Australia in 2007 when businesses and residents in Sydney turned off their lights for one hour to make a statement about energy use and global warming.
Moscow, Geneva, Budapest, Berlin, Rome, Barcelona, Helsinki, Oslo, Madrid, Paris, London, Amsterdam and Vienna are some European cities that will turn off in the name of sustainability all non-essential lights.
In Asia, cities like Bangkok, Singapore, Mumbai, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Seoul, New Delhi, Auckland and Shanghai will support the WWF initiative.
In North America, Toronto, Vancouver, New York and Chicago are among those that will go dark. In the South, cities including Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Sao Paulo, Valparaiso will take part.
Even the Davis research station in Antarctica will turn off its lights.
“This year Earth Hour asks people to commit to the event, big or small, for the coming year, taking Earth Hour beyond the hour,” said Andy Ridley, co-founder and executive director of Earth Hour.
Cities participating in the global initiative will not just switch off their electricity, but will also plant greenery and install LED street lamps.