WWF’s Earth Hour has concluded another record sweep around our planet from Samoa on one side of the International Date Line to the Cook Islands on the other, with hundreds of millions again uniting to send a clear message - we are determined to create a sustainable future for our planet.
Many South Africans joined in the event, which was observed in more than 7000 cities, towns and municipalities in more than 150 countries and territories, with many of the world’s best known human and natural landmarks – including Table Mountain, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World - going dark as the backdrop to a multitude of “beyond the hour” activities and initiatives generating outcomes for the movement and the planet on which we live.
“Earth Hour is about inspiring and mobilizing action and empowering people to celebrate Earth Hour in whatever ways best honour the planet,” says WWF South Africa (WWF-SA) CEO, Dr Mornè du Plessis.
“We cannot continue to use the equivalent of 1.5 times the planet’s natural resources to support consumptions patterns and we cannot afford to ignore the critical environmental challenges we are facing. We are heartened that hundreds of millions around the globe and in South Africa switched off for Earth Hour. Our next challenge is to switch over to more sustainable ways of living and doing business beyond the hour.”
South African supporters showed their commitment to the planet in a variety of activities on the night, including Earth Hour camp-outs at various national parks around the country, candlelit dinners at leading restaurants in the major centres, as well as twilight runs and moonlit walks at the coast. WWF-SA hosted an intimate gathering at the Woodstock Foundry in Cape Town, which saw the unveiling of a larger-than-life mural painted by art activist Ricky Lee Gordon. Themed We Are All Connected, the mural artistically captured the connectedness between humans and nature.
Countries across the world have used Earth Hour as a tool to engage children in environmental issues. In South Africa, Gordon collaborated with groups of children in the Maboneng Precinct in Johannesburg and Woodstock in Cape Town in exploring, through art, the need for all people to commit to actions that will benefit the environment beyond Earth Hour. “Art is a way of reaching into the heart of communities and bringing new messages to the social dynamic. We wanted to inspire an awareness of the natural world in our built urban environments,” Gordon said.
Former South African president Nelson Mandela was one of the first to tweet his support, and ushered a timely message given the many reforestation projects around the world tied to Earth Hour’s I Will If You Will campaign. “The trees & forests were destroyed exactly because our people were so dependent upon them as sources of energy. #NelsonMandela #EarthHour”, he tweeted.
South Africans also showed their support for Earth Hour on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Hash tag WWF, @wwf, #EarthHour and @earthour began trending across the country as early as Friday morning and by last night #earthhour2013, #earthhourza, WWF South Africa and @WWFSouthAfrica trended too.
“The kind of environmental change we’re looking for is big, very big. Change this big needs people; it requires every one of us. Our small positive actions all add up. Together we must find the energy to turn the inspiration of one hour into the lasting actions of every hour,” says Mornè du Plessis.