On 26 March, more than 5000 people gathered at the Promontory @ Marina Bay for the official Earth Hour celebration. They were there to pledge their support for Earth Hour, which is a global campaign encouraging individuals, businesses and governments to protect and take positive actions for the environment.
At 5.00 pm, the crowd began arriving. Armed with their food baskets and mats, participants looked for the best picnic spot where they could get the best view of the stage and the Marina Bay skyline. Once that was done, it was time to enjoy the performances by popular duo, Jack and Rai, Singapore idol finalist, Slytra Lee, jazz singer, Dawn Ho and many others.
But for those who preferred to shop or take part in the carnival activities, they could so at the 17 booths which comprised the WWF booth, Singapore Scout Association, Nature Society of Singapore, World Toilet Organisation, Singapore Kite Association, Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (ACRES), Ben & Jerry’s, Coca Cola, The Body Shop, Nokia, The Marymount Ladies Group, Simply Living Lifeshop and Artz Heaven.
And at 8.30 pm, Guest of Honour, Dr Amy Khor, Minister of State, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources launched Earth Hour. Buildings around the area such as the Fullerton Heritage hotel, the Esplanade, the Pan Pacific and many others switched off or dimmed their facade lights.
Joining our Guest of Honour for the launch were Ms Amy Ho, the Managing Director of WWF Singapore, WWF Board member, Mr Teng Ngiek Liam, Ms Kim Foong Wong, Director of Regional Management at Credit Suisse, Mr Tan Cheng Kiong, the Chief Commissioner of the Singapore Scout Association, and our Earth Hour celebrity supporters, Nadya Hutagalung, Utt, Felicia Chin, Tung Soo Hua, Pan Ling Ling and Huang Shinan.
Many of the participants also took part in the first ever Earth Hour night walk. The 3.5 km walk started at the Promontory and traced the perimeter of Marina Bay Sands, the Esplanade, the Fullerton Bay Hotel before ending back at the Promontory. But for those who did not register for the walk, they stayed back to watch the movie, The Age of Stupid under the stars. By 9.30 pm, the lights came back.
We thank you all for your participation, and we hope to see you on 31 March, 2012 which is the next Earth Hour. From now till the next Earth Hour, don’t forget to go Beyond the Hour. Start today by setting your aircon at 240C or higher.
A Big Thank You
WWF Singapore would like to thank all the Sponsors, Media Supporter, Friends and Volunteers who made our 2011 Earth Hour Celebration possible and a success.
