Sunday, March 28, 2010

Earth Hour crosses Asia – from Kazakhstan to the Maldives

Astana, Kazakhstan
About 90 cities and towns in Kazakhstan joined the global Earth Hour campaign by switching off their lights for an hour. In the capital of Astana, some landmark buildings, such as the Astana-Baiterek Monument, the Presidential Palace, the Supreme Court building and the Independence Palace, will turned off the lights between 20:30 and 21:30 local time. In Almaty, the largest city of Kazakhstan, the city hall building, the television tower and many other buildings will also join the action. Major cities in Kazakhstan participating in Earth Hour include Uralskaya, Atyrau, Aktau, Aktobe, Petropavlovsk, Aksu, Chaimey, Karaganda, Shymkent, and Taraz.

Kulna, Bangladesh
The Bengal Tiger was the official Earth Hour ambassador of Banglash as lights in Bangladesh city, Kulna were turned out.

Kathmandu, Nepal
In a region where electricity is not a constant power source – instead of being able to turn lights out, the citizens of Nepal instead held a candle lit vigil at the UNESCO world heritage site in Kathmandu, Boudannath Stupa led by WWF Nepal.

Colombo, Sri Lanka
In an event organized by the Environment Ministry, the Environment Ministry building and all surrounding government buildings turned their lights out. Sri Lankan VIPs lit an oil lamp which was passed along to delegates like an Olympic torch while crowds were entertained by traditional dancers.

Delhi, India
Chief Minister of Delhi turned off the lights at iconic India Gate. Around the country, landmarks such as the Red Fort, Humanyun’s Tomb and Qutub Minar all descended into darkness, while 27 cities and towns saw citizens recognize Earth Hour.

Leading Bollywood actor, Abhishek Bachchan – an Earth Hour ambassador – said, “As responsible citizens of this planet, it is extremely crucial for us to address the colossal problem of climate change through ensuring responsible action and adopting a sustainable way of life. Earth Hour is one such platform and a people’s campaign that goes beyond national, regional, economic and cultural differences.”

Karachi, Pakistan
The President and Prime Minister switched off the lights in their homes joining citizens in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore. In this – their first year of being involved – President Asif Ali Zardari said, “Conservation of natural resources and essential commodities is critical to creating a sustainable environment.”

Male, Maldives
Supported by President Mohamed Nasheed, the Maldives observed a walking tour as part of the program to mark Earth Horu 2010. Not only did Television Maldives (TVM) not go to air for the hour of 20.30 to 21.30 but local hotels including the Shangri-La Villingili Resort and Spa and the Four Seasons observed Earth Hour.

Source: http://www.wwf.org.uk

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