SPIDER-MAN helps save the planet via EARTH HOUR!

TADI NEWS FEED:

WWF's Earth Hour 2014 broke all records of participation in its eighth year, as Spider-Man joined millions of everyday Super Heroes from across the planet in the world's largest celebration for the Earth.

 The event which has evolved into history’s largest environmental movement began its journey across more than 162 countries and territories from New Zealand, sweeping across Asia with Spider-Man and the cast from the upcoming film The Amazing Spider-Man 2, including Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Jamie Foxx, sending a message to the world that anyone can be a Super Hero for the Planet.


In the Philippines, switch-off ceremonies were staged at the Eastwood City Open Park, SM Mall of Asia’s by-the-bay area, Ayala Triangle Park and in thousands of other hubs across the nation.

WWF-Philippines National Ambassador Marc Nelson and WWF-Philippines CEO Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan are joined by Megaworld representatives for the Eastwood City Earth Hour switch-off, held in Quezon City. (Earth Hour Philippines)  

In Singapore, lights were switched off across the famous Marina Bay skyline, joining the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Opera House, the Bird’s Nest in Beijing, Taipei 101, Wat Arun Buddhist Temple in Bangkok, the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur and other iconic landmarks around the world.

In Australia, a massive candle lit display on the lawn of Parliament House in Canberra spelt out, ‘Its Lights out for the reef’ as thousands across the country witnessed a special documentary about the impact of climate change on the threatened natural wonder that is the Great Barrier Reef.

 “Earth Hour will be celebrated by every continent, and people in every corner of the world will be reaching across boundaries of culture, politics, race and religion to acknowledge the power we all have when we come together for this incredible planet. Earth Hour and lights off is a powerful reminder that we can help to deliver the solutions towards creating a more sustainable future for the planet,” said Earth Hour CEO and Co-founder Andy Ridley.

India’s beyond the hour focus for children will be felt with WWF-India’s year-long education campaign for a monumental 15,000 schools across India who are switching off for Earth Hour and switching to more energy efficient practices.

Swayambhunath Temple in Kathmandu came alive at 8:30PM, as WWF-Nepal kickstarted their target of reaching 500,000 people in the country to lead environmental change through the ‘Generation Green’ campaign.

 “Earth Hour is a fantastic movement that has been created to conserve our planet, which is something that should be on top of our list as human beings. Let’s remember that the Earth is not ours, we are of this Earth. We all have a responsibility to each other in preserving our home, so it’s amazing to be a part of Earth Hour to help send that message,” said Andrew Garfield, who plays Spider-Man.

 Earth Hour trended worldwide last night, with participants sharing their event experiences and commitment for the planet across various social media platforms that connect the world. 2014 saw Earth Hour launching a new crowdfunding and crowdsourcing platform for the Planet, asking people to use their power to back a project or add their voice to solutions-based environmental projects across the world.

From donating to building climate-smart fiberglass boats for Typhoon Haiyan affected fishermen via Bancas for the Philippines, to giving Rangers in Indonesia better equipment to protect the forests and wildlife of Borneo and Sumatra via Power Up a Ranger – and even helping fund indigenous communities in Colombia to generate a sustainable means of livelihood which prevents deforestation in the Amazon via Lights OFF, AmazON – Earth Hour is calling on participants across the world to be Super Heroes for the Planet by getting involved in Earth Hour Blue when the lights are switched back on.

 Earth Hour in 2014 sees the completion of a shift from event to movement status across the world, with the celebration cementing its place as a platform for beyond the hour activities for amazing environmental outcomes to protect parts of the planet including the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Arctic in Finland, the Amazon Rainforest in Colombia and the various islands of the Philippines.

 The focus on outcomes was inspired by Earth Hour’s success in past years that led to better legislation through the Russian Parliament to protect seas from oil pollution, the creation of a 3.4 million hectare marine protected area in Argentina and the world’s first Earth Hour Forest in Uganda to fight massive deforestation in the country. All of these outcomes were powered by the crowd, showing that change for the planet can be achieved when both individuals and the collective realize their power.

Official Earth Hour 2014 Corporate Partners include Megaworld, Philips and ArthaLand. Earth Hour Media Champions include ABS-CBN, ABS-CBN RNG, ANC, The Lifestyle Network, ABS-CBN Sports + Action, Myx, The National Geographic Channel, The Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Manila Bulletin, Business World, Business Mirror, the Philippine Star, Click-The-City, FocusMedia, Globaltronics, QCreativs, DZUP and Radyo Veritas.

 People are encouraged to use their power by backing a project or add their voice at www.earthhour.org and sharing their #EarthHour activities on Instagram. Earth Hour was rolled out across the world and has also been observed in Europe and the Americas.