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Earth Hour 2009 Sweeps Across the Middle East

Submitted by Karen Chernick on December 17, 2008 – 4:55 pmComments
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It was almost exactly a year ago that we enthusiastically wrote about Tel Aviv’s upcoming participation in Earth Hour 2008, as the only Middle Eastern city to join the worldwide campaign.  We are now pleased to announce that although Tel Aviv (and other Israeli cities) will not be formally participating in Earth Hour 2009, the trend has spread widely across the Middle East.

This year will see the participation of Amman (Jordan), Istanbul (Turkey), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Dubai (UAE), Fujairah (UAE), and Sharjah (UAE).  Out of a total of 74 participating cities, 6 are from our small, humble region – not bad.

What is Earth Hour?

Earth Hour is a worldwide movement that attempts to unite individuals, businesses, and governments in their support for action on climate change by having them switch off their lights and appliances for one hour.  On the same day.  According to the Earth Hour website, “Earth Hour aims to educate the global community about the threat of climate change and how easy it is for individuals and businesses to make small changes to the way they live and operate – small changes that will make a big difference.

The inaugural Earth Hour, which was in Sydney, Australia in 2007, brought together over two million people and two thousand businesses across the city who turned off their lights and appliances for one hour.  The following year, in 2008, it reached 50 million people across 35 countries.  Earth Hour 2009 aims to reach 1 billion people in 1,000 cities globally.

Read more about Earth Hour 2008 in Tel Aviv::

Putting the Pedal to the Heavy Metal

Tell Me It’s Hot, Tell Me It’s Cold: Tel Aviv Earth Hour Concert 2008


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  • Great news - but disappointing that Tel Aviv or other Israeli cities aren't taking part next year...

    ;-(
  • True, but I think Tel Aviv hit it with a bang earlier this year. It's a lot of work organizing something like that and this year, I think all the greens are busy organizing a new political party instead...
    - Karin
  • Great blog, good information, ensuring our habitat aligns with our ecology seems to be the key in preventing global warming and other issues
  • Earth Hour 2008: Call to Action Jordan movement brought the city’s first Earth Hour to Amman where many jordanian residents eagerly participated with people turning off their lights between 8 and 9pm on March 29,2008.

    Candlelight could be seen flickering in apartments located near the city centre, and several families throughout the city hosted Earth Hour events at private residences.

    Earth Hour 2009: At 8:30 pm on the 28March millions of people around the world will use the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming.

    Mark your calendar and join The World Wild Life Fund and our partners in the global “Earth Hour” movement by turning your lights off.

    Where Will the Lights Go Off? Anyone can get involved and individuals around the world will be shutting the lights off in their homes and businesses. In addition, major participation is planned on six continents.

    Jordan will also turn off lights at all public buildings and many main roads on Saturday for one hour on the occasion of the Earth Hour at the aim of increasing awareness on environment to save power and alleviate carbon emission. Electricity will be switched off in certain parts of the capital on Saturday evening for one hour in a message to the public that excessive electricity use contributes to global warming, Minister of Environment Khalid Irani told The Jordan Times on Sunday, noting that as certain street lamps and public agencies will go dark, Amman residents are requested to join the event voluntarily.

    Several families and private businesses are hosting Earth Hour events at private residences, cafés and restaurants where candlight are going to be visible glowing in the dark.

    As members of the WWF we are proud to have introduced the Earth Hour phenomena to Jordan!

    As for Amman streets that will turn off lights:

    - Rainbow Street - Jabal Amman
    - Street of Culture - Shmeisani
    - Omar Matar Street, opposite - Ras Al Ain
    - Wasfi Al Tal Street
    - Zahran Street, between the 5th and 6th circles
    - The street from Jamal Abdul Nasser Square (Interior Ministry) to Zeid Ben Shaker Square (Sports City)
    - Greater Amman Municipality’s main square
  • i always participate whenver there is an Earth Hour event. it is a good thing that the World Wildlife Fund organized an event like this.
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