CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, March 21, 2011—A simple act for even just an hour a year will hopefully inculcate in every person on the planet to adopt a lifestyle that is earth-friendly, said the national director of Earth Hour Philippines.
Lawyer Angela Consuelo “Gia” Ibay said that this year’s observance of Earth Hour on March 26 is focused on what every person on the planet can do beyond switching off their lights for one hour on Saturday.
“Earth Hour is but 60 minutes long, but if we want lasting and effective results, then we must inculcate the true spirit of the event into our lives, which is to reduce our consumption of power, water and other critical resources. We want Filipinos to pledge to a year-long commitment to reduce their energy usage,” she said.
Ibay, who also leads the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines) Climate Unit, said that Earth Hour is a simple act that emphasizes both the ease and importance of adopting energy-efficient practices and lifestyles.
“Given ever-increasing energy demands, we must be mindful of the need to control human-induced global warming by adopting smarter and more responsible energy practices,” she added.
Earth Hour is acclaimed as one of the largest mass-participated event for the good of the planet. It was organized by the WWF in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, where 2.2 million homes and businesses turned their lights off for one hour to make a stand against climate change. Since then, the number of participating communities increased worldwide—35 countries in 2008; 88 countries in 2009; and 128 countries in 2010.
Earth Hour 2010 inspired more than a billion people worldwide and over 15 million Filipinos in 1076 towns, cities and municipalities to switch off their lights for the planet, making the Philippines the country with the most number of participating communities observing Earth Hour.
“Though it would be wonderful to again be number one in terms of participation…We want Filipinos to pledge to a year-long commitment to reduce their energy usage,” Ibay said, adding that pledges can take the form of “biking to work, choosing to fly less, planting native trees, going on a no-meat diet and so on. It all depends on what the individual is willing to do. In the same fashion, corporations and communities can make commitments to be more resource efficient and environmentally responsive. Remember, it starts with nothing more than a conscious decision.”
“Each Filipino’s participation will go a long way in spreading the message that in working collectively, people can create an impetus far more powerful than the mightiest of rivers," she stressed.
This paper is among the media partners for this year’s Earth Hour observance, which entails minimizing carbon emissions, said WWF-Philippines Vice-Chair and CEO Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan.
Environment Secretary Ramon J. Paje said that Earth Hour is an hour-long of giving relief to the plant.
Paje has recently issued a memorandum directing all lights in all DENR offices and their vicinities nationwide switched off in support of Earth Hour.
“Let us not wait for time to run out, or for global warming to become irreversible. The greater the darkness we produce on Earth Hour, the brighter our tomorrow will be,” he said.
But more than “darkness,” what is more important is the adoption of an ecologically responsible lifestyle, he said. (Bong D. Fabe)
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