BAGUIO CITY – The city celebrates earth hour with the global community on March 30 through an hour-long lights switch-off event, from 8:30 to 9:30 PM.
A parade precedes the lights-off, with city officials and employees marching from Luneta Hill down Session road up to City hall grounds where a program is prepared. Congressman Mark Go, Mayor Mauricio Domogan, Vice Mayor Edison Bilog will give their Earth Hour messages with the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) leading the pledge of support. The city hall choir and dance groups will render an hour-long entertainment after the lights switch-off, at the same venue.
Letters from League of Cities of the Philippines National President Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan and World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines, National Director and Climate Change and Energy Unit head Atty. Angela Consuelo Ibay to Mayor Mauricio Domogan, urged the celebration to be done with efforts for sustainable natural resources.
Everybody should be united for a significant change in mindsets and habits, to help address and reverse nature loss, Pamintuan and Ibay said. With this are invitations to “continue to broaden public participation” in the activity and as partners, advocate the campaign to all member cities.
The putting out of lights for one hour in every city in 2007, the world’s largest grassroots movement, has grown to 188 countries saving energy through said practice.
The earth hour executives requested public officials and local private establishment owners to turn off non-essential lights, signages, and select streetlights in key monuments and public spaces for one hour.
Proper management of garbage,and discouraging the use of plastics, during and after the event, is encouraged, Ibay and Pamintuan’s letters stated.
The event could be documented by taking photos and uploading these on social media with the tag #EarthHourPH2019 and #Connect2Earth. Messages, video presentation, performances during the switch off, and earth hour pledges; against garbage, single –use plastics, and more sustainable alternatives, could also be done.
A pledge will be done to go beyond the hour and publicly promote practices that offices and individuals can do to support the environment through reduction, recycling and waste management, it was known.
Other information could be gathered at http://wwf.org.ph/what-we-do/climate/earth-hour/or contact the social mobilization team at earthhour@wwf.org.ph.
The Earth hour 2019 campaign theme is, “Reduce, Reuse, Change the Way We Live.”** juliegfianza