Kagay-anons, green group to switch off lights

A LOCAL environmentalist group joins today, March 23, the Kagay-anon community, malls and the rest of the world in switching off the lights to observed Earth Hour 2013.

Initiated by World Wildlife Fund-Australia in 2007, the activity has so far encouraged people, businesses, and cities to switch off their lights for one hour to highlight the need of finding solutions to the growing climate crisis.

In the succeeding years, countries all over the world began to join the light switching off to include the popular man-made marvels and natural wonders like the Pyramids in Egypt, Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, Niagara Falls, Beijing’s Forbidden City, Cape Town’s Table Mountain, Sydney Opera House, Buckingham Palace, and Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil.

Local environment advocates Sulog has pledged to join the seventh year campaign of Earth Hour to banner the slogan “I Will, You Will.”

Sulog chair Ralph Abragan is urging everyone to participate in the celebration of Earth Hour tonight by switching off the lights for one hour starting 8:30 to unify the communities around the world to stand against global warming.

Abragan said the slogan “I will, you will” brings Sulog group along with other environmental stalwarts and advocates in the region to celebrate the event with the signing ceremony of an accord named after a chocolate brand manufactured by a multinational company.

He said the candle lighting and signing ceremony which will be held in a hotel here is a consensus–based tool for building resiliency and ensuring sustainability in the upland areas.

Abragan said the global movement’s goal to unite the people to protect the planet since the symbolism of the hour is incredibly important in bringing people and communities together across the globe.

He stressed out that switching off the lights even for an hour tonight is going to engage the public to join in the protest against the plunder of the natural resources and destruction of the fragile planet besieged by the creeping menace of climate change.

SM City and Centrio Ayala malls will also participate in the simultaneous switching off the lights and bring different activities before the switch off in their malls.