Cebuanos to join Earth Hour

CEBU, Philippines - Cebuanos are all set to join this year’s Earth Hour campaign against climate change this Saturday.

This as Cebu City is officially declared one of the switch-off sites for Earth Hour 2012 together with the cities of Makati and Davao.

Ethel Natera, the public information officer of the Visayas Electric Company (VECO), said the Cebu event will start with a walk at 5:30 p.m. from Fuente Osmeña to Plaza Independencia to be led by Aboitiz Group president and chief executive officer Erramon Aboitiz.

A short program will be held at the Plaza Independencia where a live streaming broadcast of other Earth Hour activities will be shown of what is taking place in the cities of Makati and Davao.

The switch-off at Plaza Independencia will also feature a candle lighting ceremony capped off by the release of biodegradable sky lanterns.

During the Earth Hour, the Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines - Cebu Chapter will also switch off the lights on its billboards and LED boards for two hours.  

In a forum, Department of Energy science research specialist Alexis dela Torre said they welcome the little things that families contribute just so they can conserve electricity. 

“The slogan Bright Now! Do right, Be Bright” was launched in December last year to provide smart options to people for energy efficiency and conservation,” dela Torre said, adding that they advocate simple steps to conserve in a day to day basis.

The energy department through a close partnership with the WWF has also gone to the offices through memorandum circulars to urge public and private offices to conserve power. 

Earth hour will be observed and celebrated at 8:30-9:30 in the evening. 

The Earth Hour began on March 31 in 2007 as a single initiative in the city of Sydney, Australia where a one-hour power-off was done from 7:30 to 8:30 in the evening.

Around 2.2 million people switched off unnecessary lights while the power saved during the 60-minute switch-off was equivalent to removing 48,613 cars off Sydney roads for an hour.       

The following year, the Philippines joined the global call and was the first Southeast Asian nation that supported Earth Hour campaign. 

Its first involvement garnered the country a total power savings of 80MWh which was equivalent to shutting down a coal-fired power plant for one hour.

Last year, a record breaking 1,661 cities and municipalities switched their lights for Earth Hour. – (FREEMAN)