The Philippines Joins Earth Hour 2017, Launches Earth Hour Camp

March 2017

An unprecedented 187 countries and territories including the Philippines came together for WWF’s Earth Hour on Saturday 25 March to take a stand for climate action. More than 3,000 landmarks switched off their lights and millions of individuals, businesses and organizations across seven continents stepped forward to change climate change. Online, #EarthHour and related terms generated over 1.1 billion impressions in 24 hours, trending in at least 30 countries worldwide.

This year’s event marked the tenth anniversary of the Earth Hour movement, which started as a one-city event in Sydney in 2007, and comes at a time when the need for climate action is greater than ever. 2016 was the hottest year on record and ambitious action is needed by governments, companies and people, their biggest stakeholders, to meet the targets set in the landmark Paris Agreement that entered into force in November last year. This year’s Earth Hour came especially momentous for the Philippines since the Senate recently concurred with President Duterte’s ratification of said Paris Agreement.

Locally, Earth Hour 2017 was held at SM by the Bay, Mall of Asia Complex with an interactive Earth Hour Camp that opened at 16:00, the program proper at 19:00, and the switch-off at 20:30-21:30. We're proud to announce more than 300 communities and 278 sites participated, supported by thousands of Filipinos who amplified our reach on social media to generate public awareness on the pressing need for more sustainable actions to fight climate change.

#EarthHourPH2017 Launched 

A large focus of #EarthHourPH2017 was on galvanizing the youth to be the climate leaders of tomorrow. “While the theme of Earth Hour remains at Shining a Light on Climate Action, we took to heart the role of the youth as the key to further propel the country into a climate-resilient one. We continue to engage and encourage the public to emphasize that together, we thrive,” says WWF-Philippines President and CEO Joel Palma.

Last 8 March 2017 in Discovery Suites, Ortigas Center, WWF-Philippines National Ambassador Marc Nelson and WWF-Philippines Climate Solutions Steward and Earth Hour Ambassador Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski led the launch of this year’s Earth Hour celebration. With a sneak peek of what is to come, everyone was abuzz with the Earth Hour camp to be spearheaded by the youth, and a switch-off powered by human energy to light up an image of the Earth, proving that together, Filipinos can shine a light on climate action.

First Earth Hour Camp

Members of the WWF-Philippines National Youth Council led the Earth Hour Camp which had interactive climate adaptation and mitigation booths; mainly comprised of the native tree planting, renewable energy technologies, and disaster go-bag (kits) preparation booths.

The native tree planting booth had an exhibit of various seeds of endangered local trees, while the renewable energy booth featured an interactive renewable energy exhibit.

With the Philippines being the third country in the world most vulnerable to climate change, go-bag preparation and education is a must. The go-bag booth highlighted the importance of personal emergency bags that hold necessities such as food, water, flashlights, a change of clothes, first aid kits, emergency I.D.s and other items that one would need in case of calamity.

Program Proper

Hosted by WWF-Philippines National Ambassadors Marc Nelson, Rovilson Fernandez, Iza Calzado, WWF-Philippines Climate Solutions Steward and Earth Hour Ambassador Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, and the National Youth Ambassadors Janine Gutierrez and Andre Paras, Earth Hour Philippines 2017 was a success. The program launched the first WWF-Philippines anthem sung by WWF Ambassador Piolo Pascual. Titled ‘Together We Thrive’, the anthem aims to get the message across that the well-being of humans is closely interlinked with the environment.

During the switch-off, attendees took turns in pedaling stationary Bambikes attached to power generators. Turning potential energy into kinetic, ten bikes lit up a globe in the middle of the stage. It sends the message that when willing, human power can shine a light on climate action.

The main takeaway of Earth Hour is to go Beyond the Hour. The one hour switch-off is but a symbolic commitment to live an environmentally-conscious lifestyle across all facets of life. There are a myriad of simple climate actions that anyone can do, making everyone a driver to reduce climate change in their own ways.

Go Beyond the Hour and learn more about what you can do to shine a light on climate action. We encourage everyone to upload their images of their Earth Hour celebration on our official Facebook event page. The official hashtags for this year’s celebration are #EarthHourPH2017 and #ChangeClimateChange.

This year’s event was made possible with the support of corporate partners SM Supermalls, SM Cares, SM by the Bay, Philips Electronics and Lighting, Inc., Pure Energy Holdings Corporation, Bambike Ecotours, Summit Natural Drinking Water, Energy Development Corporation, Pivot Edutainment, McDonalds Philippines, and Bayani Brew.

The following National Government Agencies also pledged their support for Earth Hour: Department of Energy, National Historical Commission of the Philippines, Department of the Interior and Local Government, League of Provinces of the Philippines, League of Cities of the Philippines, League of Municipalities of the Philippines, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Commission on Higher Education, Department of Education, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Tourism, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Transportation, and the Pasay City Local Government.

Last but not least, the following media partners: Business Mirror, Business World, Globaltronics, Inc., Manila Times, WhenInManila.com, DZRH News, and ComCo Southeast Asia.