Earth Hour 2011 in Chengdu
Chengdu, Sichuan is once again at the forefront of China’s green movement as it engages its population of 13 million in the global “Earth Hour” campaign to fight climate change. Echoing the Earth Hour 2011 theme “Go Beyond the Hour,” Chengdu will hold a number of exciting and educational activities throughout the city.
Chengdu was the first city in China to commit its support to Earth Hour 2010, the World Wildlife Fund’s global campaign to increase climate change awareness. The events were kicked-off by the 2010 Earth Hour Global Ambassador and Giant Panda Mei Lan, who switched off the lights in her enclosure at the Chengdu Panda Base on March 27th, 2010. With “Earth Hour 2011,” Chengdu hopes to build on its reputation as a leader in the Chinese and global movements for environmental protection by raising awareness amongst its citizens.
“Low-carbon living is a philosophy advocated by Earth Hour and the WWF, and it aligns with Chengdu’s practice of low-carbon economic development and with our goal to transform Chengdu into a ‘World-Class Garden City,’” said Xiong Yan, Director of the Chengdu Municipal Information Office, “The city hopes to work hand-in-hand with the WWF to raise public awareness of environmental protection. We hope to show Chengdu’s 13 million citizens that we can save planet Earth by making small changes in our daily lives, and that engaging in ‘low-carbon living,’ is not as difficult as it seems.”
To get into the spirit of Earth Hour 2011, the Chengdu Municipal Government will demonstrate its commitment to climate protection by distributing 60,000 bicycles in central Chengdu and opening over 1,000 bicycle rental outlets.
The Chengdu municipal government will also be launching an online campaign called “The Search for an Environmental Protection Ambassador,” to encourage individuals, communities and businesses to make individual changes in their daily lives in support of environmental protection.”
In the hours preceding Earth Hour 2011, the Chengdu municipal government will host “Melting Panda,” an event at the Chengdu Panda Base that will spread the message about the importance of environmental and wildlife protection. A number of life-sized panda ice sculptures will be slowly melted under heat lamps. When Earth Hour commences at 8:30 p.m., a panda will switch off the lights to protect the sculptures, sharing Chengdu’s Earth Hour message with the world: Protect my black and white colors; Preserve our colorful world.
More info on www.earthhour.org
