WWF invites public to join Earth Hour on March 30

As the clock strikes 8:30 p.m. on March 30, over 188 countries — including the Philippines — will once again go dark for an hour as part of the annual Earth Hour, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Philippines.

In an interview on GMA News' News To Go, WWF-Philippines National Ambassador, Rovilson Fernandez, urged Filipinos to take part in this global event by switching off their lights for a full 60 minutes, saying the accumulated electricity saved within an hour isn't the only highlight.

"The essence of Earth hour is its symbolic gesture to let people know that if we do things together as one, we can do epic things," he said.

"It's all about the bigger picture. It's all about awareness. Awareness is knowledge, and knowledge is power."

According to Earth Hour Philippines National President Atty. Gia Ibay, the annual global switch off event started in WWF's Sydney office back in 2007. After seeing it's successful effect, country offices around the world started to participate as well.

She said that although a large amount of electricity is saved during Earth Hour, what people do beyond that hour matters even more.

The organization has been pushing for the use of LED lights and the ban on single-use plastics, especially after the Philippines was named the third largest contributor of plastic pollution in 2016. 

More than anything else, she suggested that people should connect to Earth. "Meaning just appreciate that we have trees around us, that we have plants, biodiversity that we take for granted," she said.

Fernandez observed that more and more people are disconnecting themselves from nature, as a result of getting caught up in the digital age.

"This is a digital world we live in now. It runs our world. As much as we have many followers, and likes and social media, we are at our most disconnected now, so it's time to go to our grassroots, it's time to take responsibility for our actions," he said.

Those who are interested to participate in the main Earth Hour event, the WWF-Philippines will be hosting it at the Global Circuit Events Ground in Makati. Doors will open starting 4 p.m.

For those who can't drop by, a simple switching off of their lights for an hour starting 8:30 a.m. on Saturday will definitely do. — Kaela Malig/MDM, GMA News