JAKARTA. In support of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Jakarta administration, Jakartans and businesses are preparing to get involved in the global Earth Hour campaign, in which lights and electrical devices will be turned off from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday. Earth Hour, initiated by the WWF four years ago, is a campaign to save electricity in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Kenneth Hideki, 20, a Paramadina University student, said on Friday that he would participate in the campaign. Although he did not attend other campaign events, he has turned off the lights at his house for one hour every year since 2010. “It is a simple movement but very motivating. Turning off lights at night for one hour does not bother any activity at all,” he said. Going a step further than Kenneth, Yasmin Safitri, 37, initiated a 100-person flash-mob dance last week at the Central Park shopping mall in West Jakarta to promote awareness of Earth Hour. The mall has organized several events since last Sunday. Individually, she will ask 10 neighbors to turn off their lights. “I want to support the campaign with action,” said Yasmin, who has also actively promoted the program using social media. In 2011, the WWF won the support of 500,000 Indonesians, who were among 1.8 billion people around the world who registered on its website. As of early March, it already had the support of 600,000 Indonesians this year. Around 60 companies have also signed up as switch-off participants. Flag-carrier airline PT Garuda Indonesia, a WWF partner in the campaign, will participate for the fourth-consecutive year. Garuda Indonesia vice president of communications Pujobroto said that to support the program, the airline would turn off lights in its subsidiary companies, its 50 offices and on its billboards throughout Indonesia. French retailer Carrefour will also join the campaign by sponsoring an event at Central Park on Saturday. Carrefour public relations officer Hendrik Ardianto told The Jakarta Post that although his company could not turn off the electricity in its retail stores, it would turn off all billboard lights outside its 84 Indonesian stores. The Grand Indonesia shopping mall, besides asking tenants to turn off lights and unused electrical devices, is holding a photo competition entitled “Be Our Earth Hour Ambassador” for its customers and Twitter followers. In Jakarta, the top event of the campaign will be at the Central Park shopping mall and will be officially opened by Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo. During the lights-off hour, the mall will present some shows, such as musical performances. During last year’s event, the city might have saved 170 megawatts (MW) of electricity. If 10 percent of Jakartans turn off two lamps for an hour, 267.3 tons of CO2 will be saved. (cor/The JakartaPost)
Jakarta readying for Earth Hour 2012
JAKARTA. In support of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Jakarta administration, Jakartans and businesses are preparing to get involved in the global Earth Hour campaign, in which lights and electrical devices will be turned off from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday. Earth Hour, initiated by the WWF four years ago, is a campaign to save electricity in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Kenneth Hideki, 20, a Paramadina University student, said on Friday that he would participate in the campaign. Although he did not attend other campaign events, he has turned off the lights at his house for one hour every year since 2010. “It is a simple movement but very motivating. Turning off lights at night for one hour does not bother any activity at all,” he said. Going a step further than Kenneth, Yasmin Safitri, 37, initiated a 100-person flash-mob dance last week at the Central Park shopping mall in West Jakarta to promote awareness of Earth Hour. The mall has organized several events since last Sunday. Individually, she will ask 10 neighbors to turn off their lights. “I want to support the campaign with action,” said Yasmin, who has also actively promoted the program using social media. In 2011, the WWF won the support of 500,000 Indonesians, who were among 1.8 billion people around the world who registered on its website. As of early March, it already had the support of 600,000 Indonesians this year. Around 60 companies have also signed up as switch-off participants. Flag-carrier airline PT Garuda Indonesia, a WWF partner in the campaign, will participate for the fourth-consecutive year. Garuda Indonesia vice president of communications Pujobroto said that to support the program, the airline would turn off lights in its subsidiary companies, its 50 offices and on its billboards throughout Indonesia. French retailer Carrefour will also join the campaign by sponsoring an event at Central Park on Saturday. Carrefour public relations officer Hendrik Ardianto told The Jakarta Post that although his company could not turn off the electricity in its retail stores, it would turn off all billboard lights outside its 84 Indonesian stores. The Grand Indonesia shopping mall, besides asking tenants to turn off lights and unused electrical devices, is holding a photo competition entitled “Be Our Earth Hour Ambassador” for its customers and Twitter followers. In Jakarta, the top event of the campaign will be at the Central Park shopping mall and will be officially opened by Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo. During the lights-off hour, the mall will present some shows, such as musical performances. During last year’s event, the city might have saved 170 megawatts (MW) of electricity. If 10 percent of Jakartans turn off two lamps for an hour, 267.3 tons of CO2 will be saved. (cor/The JakartaPost)