Great Pyramids of Giza to switch off for Earth Hour

Friday, 27 March 2009 10:31

• Athens to cast its vote for Earth by switching lights off at the Acropolis
• Empire State Building and Petronas Towers join list of modern marvels switching off for Earth Hour

March 24, 2009: At 8.30pm on March 28, the lights will go out on the Sphinx and Great Pyramids of Giza, as modern day Egyptians join Earth Hour’s global call for action on climate change.

Around five thousand years after their completion, Egypt’s Great Pyramids will stand as a key symbol of what can be achieved through collective action when around 2,400 cities and towns in 82 countries turn off their lights for Earth Hour.

Egypt’s First Lady, Her Excellency Madame Suzanne Mubarak, supports Earth Hour’s global call for action on climate change.

“Climate Change is a growing international crisis no country can afford to overlook. Global warming negatively impacts the environment as well as the health and livelihoods of people worldwide. The interconnected challenges of our time demand immediate, cooperative action.”, she said

“United together, we can and will make a difference. I am pleased to offer my support of Earth Hour and am encouraged by the World Wildlife Fund's sustainability initiatives. Earth Hour heightens awareness and brings hope to the preservation of our shared planet’s precious environment today and for generations to come.”, added Madame Mubarak.

The lights will also go out for Earth Hour on another of the ancient world’s great monuments, the Acropolis in Athens, a poignant icon in the birthplace of modern democracy for the world’s first global vote between Earth and climate change.

The symbolism of these antiquities’ involvement and that of two of Egypt’s modern icons, the Cairo Tower and Bibliotheca in Alexandria, has great significance for Earth Hour Executive Director, Andy Ridley.

“The combined efforts of Egypt’s Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Media and Information, Supreme Council of Antiquities and the fantastic support of adventure travel group, Abercrombie & Kent, has secured the participation of arguably the world’s greatest icon for Earth Hour.”, he said.

“This is another example of the unprecedented solidarity being generated by Earth Hour, with nations, cultures, races, religions and monuments of the ancient and modern worlds coming together to make possibly the most powerful statement on climate change the world has ever witnessed.”, said Mr Ridley.

Two great symbols of the twentieth Century, the Empire State Building in New York and Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, are the latest in a long list of modern marvels turning their lights out for Earth Hour. While the famous Arch of Wembley Stadium in London will fittingly turn off its lights during a ‘friendly’ International Football match.

With Earth Hour coordinators in Egypt, Abercrombie & Kent, pledging to hold Earth Hour vigils in their campsites across the globe, even the most remote corners of the world will be given the opportunity to Vote Earth.

(Source: Friends of the Earth)