MANILA, 10 March (PIA) — “Go beyond the (Earth) Hour.” Thus said Interior and Local Government Secretary Mel Senen S. Sarmiento as he urged all local chief executives (LCEs) when the Philippines will once again join the global community in celebrating the 10th year of Earth Hour on Saturday, March 19, 2016.
Earth Hour, which is being held every third Saturday of March, is an annual global event where people from all over the world switch off their lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 pm, to show their commitment to save the planet.
The 2016 Earth Hour encourages everyone to help shine a light on climate action, helping spread a new era of climate awareness that started when the world came together and agreed on a global climate deal in Paris.
“Local officials should encourage their constituents to ‘go beyond the hour’ as our way of saying that we care for Mother Earth,” said Sarmiento.
He told local governments to switch off or dim their non-essential lights, including streetlights, signages and key monuments, during this global one-hour “lights out.”
To “go beyond the Hour”, the DILG Secretary advised LCEs to “shine a light on climate action” by publicly promoting renewed ways, practices, and programs of initiating change, which can include environmental projects or actions that the offices and individuals are willing to undertake throughout the year.
He also pushed local government units to document and send their own Earth Hour event or key monument switch offs to World Wide Fund for Nature through www.wwf.org.ph/earthhour which shall upload the photos online to showcase Earth Hour 2016 events around the country.
“Mobilize the private sector within your jurisdiction to support Earth Hour by switching off some of their lights in their facilities, as their operations or business will allow,” he added. (DILG/RJB/JCP/PIA-NCR)
