One hour for the planet

Dewa announces plans for Earth Hour on March 23

DUBAI — It gets better and bigger every year. Last year during Earth Hour, Dubai saved 216MW of electricity and 130,000kg of carbon emissions. This year also the city residents will join millions of people around the world on March 23, to show their support for the planet by switching off all non-essential lights between 8.30-9.30pm.

People arrange an Earth Hour formation at Burj Park in Downtown Dubai last year. — KT file photo

A special event will be held at Burj Plaza in Downtown Dubai as part of Earth Hour, in partnership with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE) and the Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS), which works in association with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), with Emaar Properties.

Earth Hour 2013 in Dubai was announced at a Press conference at Armani Hotel, attended by Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa); Ahmad Al Matrooshi, MD of Emaar Properties; Amal Koshak, Senior Marketing Communication Manager at Dewa; and Ida Tillisch, acting Director-General of Emirates Wildlife Society in Association with WWF.

“In line with the UAE’s long-term initiative, ‘A Green Economy for Sustainable Development’, launched by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to achieve sustainable development in the Emirate of Dubai, Dewa marks the Earth Hour annually to underline the concept of sustainability, raise environmental awareness and urge individuals and organisations to adopt eco-friendly practices to conserve electricity and water consumption, and minimise the impact on the environment,” said Al Tayer.

Al Tayer praised the role of Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, in supporting the national and international initiatives that aim to protect planet Earth. “Earth Hour goes beyond turning off the lights for one hour; it is an international call for strengthening collaboration to promote the culture of conservation, and making it a part of daily lifestyle.

“The Emirate of Dubai plays a significant role in supporting the global efforts in the field of sustainability. Dubai was the first Arab city to participate in Earth Hour in 2008 to spread awareness among community members on the need and importance of conserving electricity and water. By organising Earth Hour in Dubai, we aim to support the international efforts which aim at minimising carbon emissions and greenhouse gases, and environmental pollution, providing sustainable solutions for global warming and climate change, as well as protecting the environment and preserving natural resources for generations to come,” he said.

news@khaleejtimes.com

The story of earth hour

Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia in 2007, when more than two million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned off the lights and unnecessary appliances for one hour to take a stand for protecting planet Earth. The initiative quickly evolved to become a global environmental movement of solidarity in which millions of people across the world recognised the importance of protecting the planet.

The EWS – official representative for WWF – is promoting ‘Earth Hour’ across the UAE. Individuals and organisations can participate in Earth Hour in Dubai by logging on to ewswwf.ae/earthhour

• UAE