The Power of One

It's as simple as the flick of a switch. What began as a simple campaign to reach the minds of Sydney residents to turn their lights off, has turned into the world's biggest climate change initiative, reaching overseas into more than 1,400 cities around the globe. At 8:30pm on March 28, 2009, people all around the world will turn off their lights for one hour, the Earth Hour. The campaign is planning to reach the consciousness of one billion people, joining together to make an environmental effort, by taking action on climate change for a better future.

Initiated by WWF in 2007, Earth Hour had 2.2 million people and 2,100 businesses in Sydney turn off their lights for one hour. It caught the world's attention when its icons like the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House turned their lights off. One year later, the event grew to 50 million people in 370 cities across 35 countries participating in Earth Hour. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome's Colosseum and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square, New York, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a good cause.

This year it is our turn, as Hong Kong joins Beijing and Shanghai along with more than 1,400 other cities to make history by taking part in Earth Hour. Over 250 buildings and 200 companies in Hong Kong are joining Earth Hour, including HSBC, Cathay Pacific, Sun Hung Kai Properties, City'super and The Pure Group to name a few. But the campaign is also fusing East and West, as icons such as Hong Kong's Symphony of Lights and the Merlion in Singapore unite with some of the Western landmarks, including Paris' Eiffel Tower, Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Table Mountain in Cape Town, CN Tower in Toronto and Las Vegas' MGM Grand Casino, to go dark.

The event also shows people that small contributions from every individual can make a big difference as a whole with only one simple action. This is the power of one. Join Earth Hour 2009 and turn off your lights at 8:30pm on Saturday, March 28 for a brighter future.

For more details, please visit: Earth Hour Hong Kong