Falklands : Earth Hour Celebrated in the Falkland Islands
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 03.04.2010 (Article Archived on 17.04.2010)
The Falkland Islands became the 125th territory to participate in the global ‘Earth Hour’ event on Saturday March 27, 2010.
‘Earth Hour’ celebrated in the Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands became the 125th territory to participate in the global ‘Earth Hour’ event on Saturday March 27, 2010. This awareness campaign on climate change organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature spans thousands of cities around the world, when individuals, businesses and government organisations are encouraged to turn off their lights for one hour.
At 8.30pm (local time) the spotlights on the famous Whalebone Arch outside Christ Church Cathedral in Stanley were switched off by the Hon Emma Edwards, Member of Legislative Assembly. The event was co-ordinated in the Falkland Islands by Miss Edwards, who is a geography teacher at the Falkland Islands Community School. It was supported by the Falkland Islands First Girl Guide Company, and by a large number of Miss Edwards’ students. Around the islands residents switched off lights in their homes, while at least one hostelry was also reported to have joined in, customers enthusiastically embracing an evening of candlelight.
Stanley residents Mac and Felicity MacArthur were particularly keen to support Earth Hour, as their daughter Jacqueline (then Media Manager for WWF in Australia) was one of the people behind the project. Felicity explained that in 2006 Jacqueline and her colleagues were concerned that the climate change message was getting very heavy, and dominated by inter-governmental debate. Ordinary people were feeling powerless, and did not know what they could do to hep stop climate change.
Earth Hour was seen as a symbolic gesture, which allowed the general public to become part of the battle against climate change. It was inspired by a rolling programme at the time of electricity black outs in Thailand, which forced people to switch off their lights periodically. Mrs MacArthur says that it has been widely reported in Australia that there is a noticeable 5% drop in power usage for the duration of Earth Hour.
The Hon Emma Edwards said that she was very pleased that the Falkland Islands were now part of Earth Hour, which demonstrated how worldwide everyone had a part to play in addressing climate change, and said she was optimistic that participation levels would rise next year.
Office of the Legislative Assembly
Gilbert House
30 March 2010
For more information please contact Alison Inglis, Media Liaison Office, Falkland Islands Government at tel. +500 27451 or email media2@sec.gov.fk. Photographs and interviews are available on request, and more Falkland Islands information is available at www.falklands.gov.fk.
Notes to Editors
· Earth Hour is a WWF global initiative, which began in Sydney in 2007, when 2 million people switched off their lights. In 2008 more than 50 million people around the globe participated, and in 2009 participation swelled to hundreds of millions across 4159 cities and towns in 88 countries.
· The visual impact of lights out across the globe is intended to demonstrate that it is possible to create change through small actions.
· The success of Earth Hour is mainly measured in participation since the larger goal of Earth Hour is to unite and inspire individuals and communities world wide to think and act on issues of global climate change.
· 40% of electricity to Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands, is supplied by wind power. In the countryside approximately 85% of farms rely on wind power, and work is ongoing into the latest technology suitable for harnessing wind power for larger rural settlements.
|
