The Earth Hour 2012 campaign, with the slogan ‘I Will if You Will’ calling for different organizations, businesses and people to act against global climate change, drew the participation of hundreds of thousands of young people in Hanoi and HCM City on March 31.
On the square in front of the Hanoi Opera House, representatives from the Ministry of Nature Resources and Environment (MoNRE), the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee and the Danish Embassy in Vietnam pressed the button to turn off the lights to support the campaign.
The young people, wearing Earth Hour 2012 T-shirts with cheerful faces and delighted smiles, sang out ‘The song of Earth’ while carrying candles in their hands.
Nguyen Trong Duong, a third year student from the Post and Telecommunications (PTIT) Institute of Technology, said this is the first time he has joined such a campaign and he is very happy to join hands in the activity.
Nguyen Thuy Duong, another third year student from the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV), said Earth Hour is a meaningful campaign--not only the young people, but also for all the Vietnamese people, as it shows Vietnam’s international integration to contribute to protecting the global environment.
MoIT Deputy Minister Hoang Quoc Vuong stressed that Earth Hour has become the largest campaign ever, attracting participation in most countries and continents around the globe. It focuses on every single individual in the community and turns great commitments into practical action which can be implemented immediately and daily.
Meanwhile, a large number of young people gathered at the HCM City Youth Culture House to participate in games and exhibition stands on recycled products before the event started.
At 20h30, at the countdown of the participants, all the electric equipment around the building was switched off. The electricity in many other places, including the city’s Municipal People’s Committee Building, the Municipal Theater, Museum, Thu Thiem Bridge, Phu My Bridge and a number of restaurants, hotels and residential quarters, was also cut for one hour.
During the hour, the young people shouted the Earth Hour slogan, sang songs about environmental protection and According to the National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC), during 60 minute turning off the lights for Earth Hour 2012 from 20h30-21h30 on March 31, the country saved 546,000 kWh of electrical energy.
This year, Earth Hour volunteers used solar energy lamps to light up the stage instead of candles. The stage was also made from environmentally friendly materials.
According to the organizing board, more than 15,000 individuals and units in the city registered to take part in the event.
Nguyen Khanh Toan, Head of the Coordinating Group of 350.org in Ho Chi Minh City, said this year’s Earth Hour Campaign is totally different from the previous ones in the way that it introduces many solutions involving renewable energy and sustainable materials to millions of city dwellers.