New Delhi: Earth Hour 2017 will be celebrated on Saturday, 25th March from 8:30 to 9:30 pm, local time. As skylines around the country go dark, thousands will unite to celebrate WWF’s Earth Hour and shine a light on climate action. The Rashtrapati Bhavan, the India Gate, the Red Fort, the Charminar and other prominent landmarks in India will switch off their lights in solidarity as individuals, communities and organizations will come together to deliver on their potential to help change climate change, the planet’s biggest environmental challenge yet.
The Earth Hour India campaign, “Be an Earth Hour Superhero” focuses on inspiring individuals, corporates and other organizations, schools, colleges, RWAs and housing societies to become superheroes for the planet, undertake five simple actions and lend their voice to the world’s largest grassroots movement for the environment. WWF-India will also launch an interactive Earth Hour game on its portal (earthhour.in), driving home the need to be energy efficient in our daily lives.
2017 marks the tenth anniversary of Earth Hour which started as a symbolic event in 2007. Today, the campaign has gone beyond the traditional “switch-off” and carries with it a conservation message that inspires millions around the globe to stand together and take positive action against climate change. Earth Hour is mobilizing individuals, communities and organizations globally to do their part to help build a sustainable and greener future.
Speaking about the campaign, Mr. Ravi Singh, Secretary General and CEO, WWF-India, said, “Climate change is a global concern and needs our immediate attention. Earth Hour, a campaign launched ten years ago, is a platform that allows people to stand together on climate change and adopt practices that can help us make positive changes and work towards a sustainable future. The participation in the campaign has grown multifold over the years and is an indicator of the willingness of people across the country to work together to protect the planet and its resources.”
As every year, this year too Earth Hour is seeing unprecedented support from all quarters across the country including governments, corporates and organizations, through various innovative Earth Hour events and the switching off of iconic monuments and buildings in India to mark the movement. Celebrities like Alia Bhatt, Virat Kohli, Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Boman Irani and many others are also lending their voice to the cause, asking people across the country to switch off and adopt sustainable and greener lifestyles for a healthier planet. Some of the organizations supporting the campaign include the Delhi Metro
Rail Corporation, BSES, the Taj Group of Hotels, Times Media, E-bay, Vistara, Indigo etc., helping spread the message of Earth Hour across the country.