EARTH HOUR PHILIPPINES THIS MARCH 28
The annual event that started as an event campaign for the environment and later on turned into a movement, will have another 2015 Earth Hour light up ceremony and event this March 28 in QC Circle, this event will remind us to look back from the past and future and see where we are going and how our efforts are really working in saving our environment, but for this year its more than just an Earth Hour campaign, because Earth Hour gave birth to a new branch -- a crowd funding engine that will help not only our planet but also the less fortunate people who are in need of help.
Back to climate change, this year, Earth Hour 2015 theme is “Use your power to change climate change”, Earth Hour and WWF calls for your voice to help shout out the message that we need to shift in using renewable power source like using solar power energy, water power energy and wind power energy. It’s the only energy that doesn't emit harmful effects to our environment and with the use of these available source of energy, the existing local energy power plants that uses coal, fossil fuel and natural gas will use lesser energy and less carbon emission that damages our atmosphere and worsen the climate change of our Earth.
Earth Hour Philippines
March 28, 2015
7pm-9pm
QC Circle
CLIMATE CHANGE IS HERE TO STAY
”Climate change is here to stay even if you didn't do anything” a message by Joselito Angelito
Palma – President and CEO of WWF Philippines. It was revealed many years ago that climate change will be felt if we didn’t do anything, it’s a big issue in the past that many people didn’t believe in climate change because the natural effect of it is not yet felt, but fast forward to its future and today, we can feel the effects of climate change in a rampant way.
Earth Hour, WWF and its partners are doing their best to send the message about climate change and how we can help make it not worse. Take for example of the scheduled visit of French President François Hollande and his delegate in Eastern Samar, they are here to see personally the damage and effect of the town of Guia because of climate change, take note that Typhoon Yolanda that struck our country and killed many Filipinos and left some homeless and hungry is a straight fact and proof the existence of climate change.
As everyone from the Earth Hour and WWF team, would like you to join to help change climate change.
USER GENERATED ACTION TO CHANGE CLIMATE CHANGE
Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International shared to us that the Philippines is in delicate location because of tropical storms and natural disasters, we felt this every year and it starts to get worse as time goes by. After 20 years of the discovery of climate change, we can now feel the effects of it, for example, that the year 2014 was recorded as the most hottest year ever and we can feel it on our skin.....climate change can be felt right on our nose and skin.
Even if the poorest country in the world experienced lots of natural disasters and typhoons, thats the real effect of climate change, but a poor or a developing country, everyone has no escape from climate change. "We are all in it!" as Marco Lambertini shouted.
There are no need to point fingers and blame each other for the cause of climate change, everyone can solve this, and everyone can sit down and discuss climate change.
If ever we all fail, we still have to think a new one to solve it, because we are all part of this global problem that we need to create and be part of a solution, all must engage in a global level.
Things to try is the reduction of emission, protecting the eco system, use renewal energy and generate action for people to come together to act for change.
Our role to play is to create a global movement for humans and nature. and this Earth Hour is a good example for people to come together to be part of a user generated action to change climate change
EARTH HOUR IS HERE EVEN BEFORE THE ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE
QC Mayor Herbert Baustista revealed to us that he is not an environmental conscious person before, but he started to ask question back in year 2007 when he saw a tv commercial about the environment, he was Vice Mayor in 2007 and then he ask for a study about the environment and later on he was sent to Switzerland by Mayor Belmonte to attend a conference about the environment.
Earth Hour and WWF chose Quezon City as the next light up ceremony for the Earth Hour 2015 here in the Philippines. Because QC is a good example for a city that is environmental conscious. Mayor Herbert Baustista shared to us that they've done 17 socializing projects that rescued families living in dangerous areas like rivers, and they started the campaign on banning the use of plastic and repel any proposed rumored biodegradable plastic without a support from DOST, Quezon City have its own sanitary land fill in Payatas -- its the 1st in the country granted by DENR.
As for the mayor's question, a challenge comes on how he can use municipal waste and convert it into energy, its a long term plan that we know that can benefit millions of QC residents. If their local govt spends 1 Billion pesos for waste management every year, they might earn something like PHP 200 million via renewable energy using municipal waste, this fund can be used in building health centers, school and disaster preparation. A study is now passed with the cooperation with DENR, DOST, MMDA and DOE.
The Mayor said that the environment has no boundaries and Earth Hour is here even before the ice bucket challenge.
THE GIFT OF LIGHT
Atty Angela Consuelo Ibay, National Director for Earth Hour shared to us about the global theme for this year -- "to use your power to change climate change", its the power of "us" that should not be under estimated because we can make a stand to change climate change, people can come together and gather to protect the planet, in regardless of age, gender and religion, everyone can help kick start this revolution to change climate change for 1 hour of their time.
Earth Hour and WWF is now working on a crowd funding campaign to fund a solution to a problem, in a recent project, they've collected 67,000 US dollars donated by people from different countries to fund the a way to solve the problems in the world, here in the Philippines, a part of donated funds were used to build boats for fishermen who were affected by Typhoon Yolanda.
This year, they've gathered a new crowd source fund program to help the people of Beton, Palawan, they call it "The Gift of Light"--- is to help zero electric powered Filipino residents to go solar power. Earth Hour and Philips provided solar powered light lamp for Beton, Palawan residents to brighten up the lives at night, a local fisherman mentioned that they need to raise PHP150 per day just to buy petrol to power up their lamp, and its dangerous to use it because it can burn your house if the bottle or jar with petrol breaks.
With the use of solar powered lamp and light, the locals of Beton won't be needed to earn more just to buy petrol to light up their homes.
To donate in The Gift Of Light
visit their website at http://wwf.org.ph/earthhour/give-the-gift-of-light/
OR BUY the Earth Hour glow in the dark t-shirt in Kultura shop in SM Malls.
PARTNER BRANDS FOR EARTH HOUR
We learned that Philips is here to support the campaign of Earth Hour and help to spread the word to conserve energy. Using LED light and instead of incandescent light bulbs. BDO is also here to join fight climate change, all of their BDO machines will ask you to donate PHP 5 before logging out.
EARTH HOUR WEBSITE
http://wwf.org.ph/earthhour/
https://www.facebook.com/earthhour
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