Shall we join in? invite the Mayor to invite the City?
check it out <http://www.earthhour.org.za/?refer=774f4bed13335277d43585c8da8d8774> Switch off the lights to save Earth Written by Ndaba Dlamini Tuesday, 24 February 2009 Joburg has signed up for Earth Hour; its residents are urged to switch off the lights in a bid to help stop climate change. Join Archbishop Dsemond Tutu and sign up for Earth Hour (Photo: Roger Sedres) AS a way to help combat the devastating effects of climate change, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is asking Joburg residents to switch off their lights for one hour on Saturday, 28 March from 8.30pm. Launching the initiative, called Earth Hour, in Sandton on Thursday, 19 February, the chief executive of the WWF South Africa, Morne du Plessis, said Earth Hour was an intensive campaign involving scientists and celebrities to create awareness and drive action for reducing global emissions. "2009 is a critical year for action on climate change, with the world's leaders meeting at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December to sign a new deal to supersede the Kyoto Protocol. "We realise that turning off the lights for an hour won't save much electricity. I think most [people] will realise that that's not the point of the event, but it's worth reminding them. We believe Earth Hour 2009 will deliver a powerful message and an unprecedented global mandate for action on climate change." Earth Hour, an annual international event held on the last Saturday of March, began in Sydney, Australia in 2007 when two million people switched off their lights for one hour. A year later, more than 50 million people across the globe took part on the night of 29 March 2008. Landmarks in darkness On that night, global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome's Colosseum and the Coca-Cola billboard in Times Square, in New York all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour. To date, more than 538 cities and towns in 75 countries have already committed to Earth Hour. This year, over 64 countries and territories are participating in Earth Hour. This number grows every day as people realise how such a simple act can have such a profound result in affecting change. In 2009, Earth Hour aims to reach one billion people in 1 000 cities. "Already, both the cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg have committed to supporting Earth Hour," said Du Plessis. "We are confident that more South African cities and towns will still come on board." Joburg commitment Prema Naidoo, the mayoral committee member for the environment, hailed Earth Hour as a great opportunity for the City to show its commitment to containing people's effect on the planet. Earth Hour is an annual international event held on the last Saturday of March "Johannesburg is taking the climate change threat seriously and has embarked on a number of initiatives to reduce the city's carbon emissions. We look forward to joining our residents and the world in pledging to take action against climate change," he said. Well-known people have also committed to the event, according to Du Plessis. These included Archbishop Desmond Tutu and celebrities Ryk Neethling, Marc Lottering, The Parlotones, Freshlyground, Leon Schuster, Jo-Ann Strauss, Derek van Dam and football club Moroka Swallows, among others. In a message played on video, Tutu said the threat of climate change was the greatest natural crisis facing the world today. "It is totally indiscriminate of race, culture and religion. It affects every human being on the planet. Earth Hour is an opportunity for every man, woman and child from all corners of the globe to come together with a united voice and make a loud and powerful statement on the issue of climate change." Moroka Swallows Moroka Swallows' chief executive, Leon Prins, said the team was proud to be involved in the WWF initiative. He appealed to all football lovers to join the team in signing up for Earth Hour and switching off their lights on 28 March. "Climate change is a poverty issue which is caused by the rich and will first and foremost impact the poor. I support Earth Hour as a first step in showing how important I think a bold global deal on climate change is. The fight against climate change will be the greatest global collective effort ever undertaken by humanity. I'm proud to be part of it," said Strauss. Van Dam said the importance of Earth Hour in combating climate change and global warming could not be over-emphasised. "This is the time to make a change. We must celebrate this hour and I hope this hour will make a significant impact," he said. Cut emissions Flora Mokgohloa, the executive director of environmental management in the City of Johannesburg, said the City took part in Earth Hour celebrations in 2008. This year it was planning a huge campaign leading up to 28 March. "We will be getting a whole lot of people to be involved in the campaign to reduce gas emissions. The City is already part of the Clinton Foundation and the Large Cities Climate Leadership Group (known as the C40), which aims to take practical and measurable steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase energy efficiency in large cities across the world." Mokgohloa said the City consumed a lot of electricity (seven percent goes to municipal operations) and it was critical that it started to reduce electricity consumption. "We are also looking at getting our customers to get involved in this campaign. We will be conducting out own campaign on 27 March from 10am to 11am on the day to reflect on climate issues," she said. School learners from around the country would also be signing up and taking part in Earth Hour, according to Du Plessis. Earth Hour gave everyone an opportunity to play a part in the fight against climate change. "We urge every South African to pledge their commitment on the Earth Hour website and then switch off lights from 8.30pm to 9.30pm on 28 March this year. This is an opportunity for all South Africans to unite," he said. 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