Friends' Work

// EARTH HOUR 2009

EARTH HOUR 2009

PRESS RELEASE

At 8.30 pm on March 28, people around the world will turn their lights off for one hour in a universal effort to show that it is possible to take action on global warming.

Begun in Sydney two years ago by the World Wildlife Fund, 2 million people turned off their lights. Last year 50 million people across 35 countries switched off for one hour.

Supported in Ireland by Friends of the Irish Environment, Dublin's Custom House went dark and Eirgrid reported reductions of 50 megawatts - enough electricity to power 32,500 homes.

This year Earth Hour is set to become one of the world's biggest climate change initiatives - with a goal of 1000 cities and 1,000,000,000 people.

Last year Ireland was alone in the EU in supporting the effort.

This year, 74 countries have signed up to date - including, for the first time, Belfast, London, and Paris - which announced this week that the Eiffel tower will join the world's landmarks in going dark for Earth Hour.

The number is growing every day as people realize how such a simple act can have such a profound result in affecting change.

Shepard Fairey, the artist who created the iconic ‘Change, Progress, Hope' imagery for Barack Obama in the recent US Presidential Election, has created the artwork for WWF's 2009 Earth Hour called ‘Vote Earth'.

WWF Director General, Mr James Leape, said Earth Hour 2009 is setting the platform for an "unprecedented global mandate for action on climate change".

Tony Lowes of Friends of the Irish Environment said that Earth Hour was ‘people power in the global age‘.

Join us for Earth Hour 2009.

Turn off your lights at 8.30 pm Saturday 28 March and sign-up to be counted.
http://www.earthhour.org/

See The Customs House go dark on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00YWw17I61Q

FIE is assisting in coordinating Earth Hour here in Ireland. Please contact us
Tony Lowes, 027 73131 | 087 217 6316

IMAGES:

Shepard Fairey, the artist who created the iconic ‘Change, Progress, Hope' imagery for Barack Obama in the recent US Presidential Election, has created the artwork for WWF's 2009 Earth Hour called ‘Vote Earth'. Shepard Fairey is a contemporary artist, graphic designer and illustrator who emerged from the skateboarding scene and became known initially for his "André the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign. His work became more widely known in the 2008 United States Presidential Election, specifically his Barack Obama "HOPE" poster. The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston calls him one of today's best known and most influential street artists. He usually omits his first name. His work is included in the collections at The Smithsonian, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Shepard Fairey said he is keen to be part of the campaign and to help tackle the important global issue of climate change. "If I can use my art in any way to have a positive impact, I'm glad to do it," he said.

About FIE
Friends of the Irish Environment was established in 1997 and is one of the most active environmental non-governmental organisation in Ireland. A network of environmentalists with a particular interest in European environmental law and Ireland's international obligations. FIE runs Ireland's longest established campaigning website and provides a widely read free environmental news service.

About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with almost five million supporters and a global network active in more than 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.