By Alang Bendahara
SHAH ALAM, March 22 — The state government will mark the inaugural Earth Hour campaign in Selangor to boost environmental awareness, said state executive councillor for environment Hee Loy Sian.
He said the global ‘black-out’ event which takes place this Saturday will be turned into an annual state event.
“To support environmental sustainability efforts and to realise the state agenda in addressing climate change’s effects, the Selangor government will organise the Earth Hour campaign on March 26.
“We also intend to make Earth Hour an annual event in the state, to foster public awareness on climate and environmental change that is being experienced around the world,” Hee said in a statement today.
The councillor said the campaign will be implemented for one hour from 8.30 pm to 9.30pm by turning off electric lights that are deemed as unimportant in office buildings, business premises and household residences.
“For the safety of the public and of building users, only exterior lights (decorative lights), unused lights and electronic devices should be turned off instead of a complete blackout.
“Safety lights should be switched on according to the needs of each building in ensuring its occupants remain safe,” he said.
Hee added all state departments, agencies and local authorities have been instructed to participate in the campaign.
“We also welcome the private sector’s participation including factories, businesses, premises, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and political parties in this campaign,” he said.
Earth Hour is aimed at encouraging communities to rethink their actions and ways that can contribute to the conservation of the planet’s resources, to reduce and stop the rate of decline in environmental quality, and gradually reduce carbon emissions from the electricity supply sector by 2030.
“We hope the Earth Hour campaign can be practiced by all Selangor citizens together with the global community in an effort to protect the environment and create a more sustainable world, as well as provide a positive impact on climate change,” he said.
The Earth Hour campaign is an annual world event first introduced in 2007 by the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) in Australia and has since spread to other countries around the globe, including Malaysia.
