Assembly Member Mick Bates has publicly backed WWF’s Earth Hour for the second year running and urges people, schools and business in Montgomeryshire to also sign up to the big switch off to shown they care about climate change.
By switching off their lights off for one hour on Saturday 26 March at 8.30pm they will join millions of others across the globe in a graphic demonstration to decision makers that they support urgent action on climate change.
Constituencies can monitor their individual progress on a new interactive Earth Hour map http://earthhourmap.wwf.org.uk/ As more people sign up to switch their lights off, they can see how their locality is performing and encourage their friends and family to join them in helping ensure their county stands out.
Mr Bates said: “Getting involved and signing up to WWF’s Earth Hour is the perfect and easy way of showing you care about the planet. The threats to people and nature are real so I urge everyone to sign up in support of action against climate change.”
This year WWF also has the support of Amanda Holden, Tom Jones, Noel Sullivan and Danielle Lineker who are among the many high profile personalities who will be taking part and who are helping to make Earth Hour even bigger and better. Schools, communities, organisations and individuals can all take part in 2011 to show they support people and wildlife threatened by climate change.
Last year in the UK over 13 million people took part and more than 130 landmarks including Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and globally the Sydney Opera House and the Empire State Building in New York. An incredible 4,000 cities across 128 countries joined the global switch off, a compelling reminder that we only have one planet and we must all take urgent action to protect it for our future. Last year in Wales nearly 70 per cent of all local authorities signed up together with over a 100 schools, and Welsh iconic landmarks such as Wales’ Millennium Stadium, Caernarfon Castle and the National Library for Wales in Aberystwyth switched off.
By signing up to Earth Hour people showing the government they want action to ‘clean up’ the county’s energy supply and reduce the impact it has on our planet. People can join in by registering online at www.wwf.org.uk/earthhourwales2011 Already people around the country are organising Earth Hour events, from candlelit dinner parties and ‘wear it bright’ days at work to dancing flash mobs to lantern making workshops – it’s not about just sitting in the dark for an hour, it’s about having fun and making 26 March a night to remember!
“WWF’s Earth Hour is an inspiring opportunity for people to do something positive to help tackle climate change,” said Anne Meikle, Head of WWF Cymru. “Last year’s Earth Hour was the biggest ever climate change event. By making it even bigger this year, we can all send a strong message to world leaders that people around the globe are united in calling for decisive action on climate change.”
WWF’s Earth Hour: Saturday 26 March 2010, 8.30pm. www.wwf.org.uk/earthhourwales2011
