Saturday 30 March: Earth Hour - #Connect2Earth
Earth Hour
22 Mar 2019
/ 08:06
CORFU. On Saturday 30 March from 20:30 to 21:30 switch off the lights for an hour and connect to nature which needs us more than ever.
Millions of individuals around the world, organizations, businesses, monuments and archaeological sites will be switching off their lights as a symbolic gesture on Saturday 30 March between 20:30 and 21:30. All of them are taking part in this year's Earth Hour - as one voice asking for a new agreement on nature.
Starting as a symbolic lights out event in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour is now the world's largest grassroots movement for the environment, inspiring millions of people to take action for our planet and nature. Twelve years later individuals and organizations from over 180 countries are facing a huge challenge - to persuade world leaders to take immediate action to implement a new global agreement for nature and people to protect and conserve the biodiversity which is disappearing at a rapid rate.
With its main message 'Connect to Earth' this year's Earth Hour is calling upon us to redefine our relationship with nature which, although it is present in each of our cells, we often think of it nowadays as something far away. How often do think about the fact that what we take for granted - the air we breathe, the water that comes from our taps, the primary products for our medicines, our furniture and the food we eat - come from nature?
According to a recent WWF survey amongst 11,000 citizens from 10 countries, although the way we produce and consume our food, which comes from nature, is the greatest threat to our planet today, only 9% of those who took part understood the extent of the problem. Those in the age group 18-24 are the least aware of the problem - 40% of this group considered the problem to be insignificant and 11% that the problem didn't exist.
However, the reality is completely different as we are overexploiting our natural resources to exhaustion level and today find ourselves at a crucial crossroads.
According to the WWF and Zoological Society of London report Living Planet, in less than 50 years the fish, bird, mammal, amphibian and reptile populations decreased by 60%. The UN Inter-Governmental Committee for Climate Change warns that if temperature increases by over 1.5 degrees Celsius, the losses to nature will be irreversible.
We are thus the first generation to have a clear picture of the value of nature and our impact on it but we are also perhaps the last generation which can save the planet and itself.
There is no time left!
The time has come for us, with one voice, to send out a loud message to save nature.
On Saturday 30 March we will be switching off the lights for 60 minutes between 20:30 and 21:30 for Earth Hour - a symbolic gesture with great significance and an opportunity for us to redefine our relationship with nature.
By taking part in this year's Earth Hour we will be changing our habits to the benefit of all of us and can discover secret, clever ways to connect with nature every day!
Further information and audiovisual materials:
- Photos, online banners and GIFs for Earth Hour can be downloaded here.
- All materials for this year's Earth Hour plus information about the initiative can be seen here.
- Along with the thousands of individuals throughout the country who will be taking part in Earth Hour there are already dozens of Greek organizations, businesses and services committed to participating - thus aiding the fight against climate change. Amongst them are the Acropolis, Athens 'Eleftherios Venizelos' International Airport and the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE).
Starting as a symbolic lights out event in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour is now the world's largest grassroots movement for the environment, inspiring millions of people to take action for our planet and nature. Twelve years later individuals and organizations from over 180 countries are facing a huge challenge - to persuade world leaders to take immediate action to implement a new global agreement for nature and people to protect and conserve the biodiversity which is disappearing at a rapid rate.
With its main message 'Connect to Earth' this year's Earth Hour is calling upon us to redefine our relationship with nature which, although it is present in each of our cells, we often think of it nowadays as something far away. How often do think about the fact that what we take for granted - the air we breathe, the water that comes from our taps, the primary products for our medicines, our furniture and the food we eat - come from nature?
According to a recent WWF survey amongst 11,000 citizens from 10 countries, although the way we produce and consume our food, which comes from nature, is the greatest threat to our planet today, only 9% of those who took part understood the extent of the problem. Those in the age group 18-24 are the least aware of the problem - 40% of this group considered the problem to be insignificant and 11% that the problem didn't exist.
However, the reality is completely different as we are overexploiting our natural resources to exhaustion level and today find ourselves at a crucial crossroads.
According to the WWF and Zoological Society of London report Living Planet, in less than 50 years the fish, bird, mammal, amphibian and reptile populations decreased by 60%. The UN Inter-Governmental Committee for Climate Change warns that if temperature increases by over 1.5 degrees Celsius, the losses to nature will be irreversible.
We are thus the first generation to have a clear picture of the value of nature and our impact on it but we are also perhaps the last generation which can save the planet and itself.
There is no time left!
The time has come for us, with one voice, to send out a loud message to save nature.
On Saturday 30 March we will be switching off the lights for 60 minutes between 20:30 and 21:30 for Earth Hour - a symbolic gesture with great significance and an opportunity for us to redefine our relationship with nature.
By taking part in this year's Earth Hour we will be changing our habits to the benefit of all of us and can discover secret, clever ways to connect with nature every day!
Further information and audiovisual materials:
- Photos, online banners and GIFs for Earth Hour can be downloaded here.
- All materials for this year's Earth Hour plus information about the initiative can be seen here.
- Along with the thousands of individuals throughout the country who will be taking part in Earth Hour there are already dozens of Greek organizations, businesses and services committed to participating - thus aiding the fight against climate change. Amongst them are the Acropolis, Athens 'Eleftherios Venizelos' International Airport and the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE).
