Earth Hour 2009 San Francisco joins World Wildlife Fund for climate change
Diana deRegnier
March 27, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 8:30-9:30 PM in each time zone around the world, lights will be dimmed for Earth Hour 2009. San Francisco joins World Wildlife Fund and 2,848 cities, seven times more than last year, in 84 countries to take action on global climate change.
World Wildlife Fund, the world´s leading conservation organization for nearly half a century, works in 100 countries with 5 million members. "WWF´s mission is to stop the degradation of the earth´s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world´s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption."
Hundreds of other US cities have committed to Earth Hour 2009, including Washington DC, Chicago, Toledo, Las Vegas and Dallas. Municipalities around the world include Abu Dhabi, Amman, Auckland, Beijing, Bogota, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dubai, Guatemala City, Edinburgh, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Kiev, Kuala Lumpur, Lisbon, London, Manila, Mexico City, Moscow, Oslo, Rome, Singapore, Shanghai, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Vancouver, Wellington and Warsaw. A complete list is available on EarthHour.org.
Buildings and landmarks set to switch off non-essential lights include the Sears Tower in Chicago; the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame in Paris; the Sydney Opera House; Christ the Redeemer in Brazil; Niagara Falls; the Coliseum in Rome; Stockholm Castle; Burj Dubai; the Acropolis and the Great Pyramids.
San Francisco lights will go dim on the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge, Coit Tower, Levi Plaza, the Ferry Building, Union Square, California Academy of Science and dozens of other partnering locales.
Beyond the symbolic hour of darkness, communities will lead ecological undertakings all day. In San Francisco:
Friends of the Urban Forest & Zipcar invite the public to help plant 60 trees in 60 minutes in the Presidio.
Mayor Gavin Newsom's Earth Hour Team will climb the Bank of America stairs for the American Lung Association.
The Mission Esperanza Sustainability Center will build a garden with "CommuniTree and Change."
Thirty people will be led on a Twilight Tour of San Francisco Zoo.
Other evening activities around the city encourage us to "Do it in the dark." Dolores Park invites us to bring battery or solar powered lights to join in a game of night-tag and listen to acoustic music. Restaurants and hotels will promote candlelit dining-in-the-dark specials; groups will hold candlelight vigils and select bars will serve cocktails made of organic gin and vodka. Find more happenings on the Earth Hour, San Francisco Web site.
Businesses recognizing their need for change have climbed aboard. San Francisco Wells Fargo ATMs are now displaying Earth Hour 2009 on their screens to 1 million customers. Clear Channel Outdoor has donated three massive billboards.
Individuals are asked to make this a starting point to go beyond the hour with The Take 5 Pledge for San Francisco. Choose 5 commitments to continue decreasing your negative impact on the planet. Ideas range from replace one car trip with a bike ride, to unplug appliances, turn down the heat and "Vote with your dollars by supporting local farmers and green businesses."
The intentions of World Wildlife Fund and one billion participating persons, governments, businesses and communities are threefold:
To create political momentum for enacting national climate legislation and a global climate treaty.
To continue to educate and raise awareness about the climate crisis and offer ideas and solutions that people can merge into their daily lives.
To unify people's voices from around the world who are demanding action from our elected officials to solve the climate crisis.
Diana deRegnier writes from the San Francisco Bay Area. Her articles appear on Web sites and in print publications around the world. Contact Diana at spiritlinks@comcast.net. © by Diana deRegnier 2009