Lights off for Earth Hour
Brighton & Hove Healthwalks will be joining hundreds of millions of people around the world to celebrate WWF’s Earth Hour on Saturday (29 March at 8:30pm) to raise awareness of the environmental impact of climate change.
The event aims to help residents find out what they can do to make changes to their everyday lives as lights will be switched off world-wide during the annual Earth Hour event in 157 countries to promote concern for the environment and raise awareness.
At the designated hour, lights will be turned off at buildings around the city, including the Brighton Wheel and the Palace Pier. All lights in council buildings will be off unless light is needed for safety reasons.
Brighton & Hove City Council’s Healthwalks team are co-ordinating a range of activities to mark the occasion, culminating in a torch lit seafront walk beginning at the Bandstand where people can gather from 8pm to add their “commitment to change” pledge to the commitment tree and a promise to make a difference to improve the environment. The three best pledges submitted to the Healthwalks team will win their writers a ticket for the Brighton Wheel. The Green Centre will have an information stand at the bandstand.
The walk begins at 8.30 when the lights go out and heads along the seafront to the Brighton Wheel, a distance of under a mile. Anyone wanting to take part can find out more and register at www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/earthhour Maracatu Samba band will be setting the pace for the walk as well as providing music and dance at the Brighton Wheel.
The Healthwalks team is keen to hear from anyone wanting to help out on the night. The team is looking for stewards for the event. If you are interested in taking part please email Healthwalks@brighton-hove.gov.uk with information on what you would like to offer the event.
Cllr Pete West, Chair of the Environment Committee, said:
“Earth Hour is a real encouragement for everyone to do their bit for the environment as it helps demonstrate how our individual efforts all add up together to make a difference.
“CO2 from burning fossil fuels to generate power contributes to global warming and causes problems including severe weather conditions such as rising sea levels and the heavy rainfall that has hit communities across the country recently.
“I hope as many people in the city as possible take part in the torch lit walk and switch off their lights at the appropriate time to show they want to reduce energy use and harmful CO2 emissions. We want residents to commit to making changes to their everyday lives through Earth Hour which is part of our Sustainability Action Plan that we developed as we work to be a One Planet Living City.”
For more information on Earth Hour globally go to http://earthhour.org
Notes to editors:
The council’s Healthwalks scheme provides free walks around the city, boosting physical and mental health for participants. www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/healthwalks
Earth Hour is a worldwide event organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) http://earthhour.org