Lights off for Earth Hour's global crowdfunding call

SINGAPORE -- Lights went off in thousands of cities and towns across the world on Saturday for the annual Earth Hour campaign, which is aiming to raise money via the Internet for local environmental projects.

 The Singapore-based campaign by conservation group WWF was boosted by Hollywood star power, with "The Amazing Spiderman-2" stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Jamie Foxx leading ceremonies at the city-state's Marina Bay district.

Comic-book hero Spiderman is this year's "ambassador" for Earth Hour, which was launched in Sydney in 2007.

Sydney's Opera House and Harbour Bridge were among the first landmarks around the world to dim their lights for 60 minutes during Saturday's event.

An estimated 7,000 cities and towns from New Zealand to New York took part in the event.

Hong Kong's stunning waterfront skyline was unrecognizable on Saturday evening, with the city's tallest skyscraper, the International Commerce Centre, stripped of the vast light show usually wrapped around its 118 stories.

Blazing neon signs advertising some of the world's largest brands were shut off, leaving the view of the heavily vertical southern Chinese city peppered only with tiny lights from buildings' interiors.

Earth Hour partnered with payments giant PayPal to allow donors to contribute to specific projects from Russia and India to Canada and Indonesia, using Asian fundraising site Crowdonomic.

Earth Hour chief executive Andy Ridley said before the lights went off in Singapore that the event had moved beyond symbolism to concrete action.

"If you want to get real social change you need to have symbolism," he told AFP.

"We are seeing some really big outcomes."

Projects under the "Earth Hour Blue" crowdfunding scheme -- which aim to raise more than $650,000 in total -- include a turtle center in Italy and funding for forest rangers in Indonesia.

The event is being marked in more than 150 countries, organizers said, estimating that thousands of cities and towns would have taken part by the time the ceremonies began in Singapore.

The projects seeking crowdfunding include a 24,000-dollar effort in the Philippines to bring fiberglass boat technology to coastal communities affected by super typhoon Haiyan in November last year.

In Nepal, $100,000 is being sought for a program called "A Flame Called Hope" to provide access to biogas energy for 150 households in the Terai region, reducing the need for wood as fuel and helping protect the habitat of endangered wildlife, according to the Earth Hour website.

Spiderman-2 star Garfield told journalists that he was a personal supporter of the Nepal project.

"What they are doing is turning waste into energy, it's like the cycle of life right there, if only everyone knew how simple it was," he said.

Earth Hour will see other landmarks including the Empire State Building in New York, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Kremlin in Moscow switch off their lights for an hour starting at 8:30 pm local time on Saturday.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Andrew Garfield to give message to Pinoys on Earth Hour

MANILA - "Spider-Man" star Andrew Garfield will be giving a message to his Filipino fans this weekend during the annual Earth Hour switch-off, organizers announced Thursday.

The message from the 30-year-old actor will be shown at the Eastwood City Open Park at around 8:30 p.m.

Spider-Man, the Marvel superhero portrayed by Garfield on the big screen, is the official celebrity endorser of this year's Earth Hour 60+ campaign.

According to organizers, Eastwood City's switch-off is one of the biggest single Earth Hour switch-offs in Metro Manila with 19 residential towers, 10 office buildings, three malls, and a hotel participating in the annual event.

Garfield's part in the Earth Hour campaign leads up to the release of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," which will hit theaters in the Philippines on April 30.

In an earlier interview with ABS-CBN News, Garfield turned emotional as he gave a message to the millions affected by super typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan), which devastated parts of central Philippines in November.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

All set for Earth Hour on March 29

MANILA – Prepare to turn off your lights this weekend as this year’s Earth Hour switch-off is set to be held on Saturday, March 29.

Now on its eighth year, the 2014 Earth Hour will take place from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Around 153 countries will join the global switch-off, organizers said in a statement.

Earth Hour co-founder and chief executive officer Andy Ridley stressed that Earth Hour is not only about turning lights off, but also “about people from all walks of life coming together throughout the year to show what they can do to protect the planet.”

The Philippines has been lauded by organizers as one of the staunchest supporters of Earth Hour, with the country topping town and city participation levels since 2009.

This year, official Earth Hour representatives and celebrities will be at the Eastwood Mall Open Park and SM Mall of Asia’s by the Bay Area at 8 p.m. on March 29 for the event.

“At 8:30 p.m. this March 29, you can either initiate your own switch-off at your home or be part of bigger switch-off initiatives led by communities or companies,” said Earth Hour Philippines national director Atty. Gia Ibay.

Some of the United States’ iconic landmarks are also expected to dim their lights in this year’s Earth Hour, among them the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Empire State Building in New York and the Space Needle in Seattle.

In the United Kingdom, Wembley Stadium, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace and the London Eye will dim facade lights. Over 400 monuments in France, including the Eiffel Tower, will also take part in the switch-off.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com