60 minutes that connected hundreds of millions of people with the Planet

Posted on 25 marzo 2018

Millions of Peruvians took part in Earth Hour along the Pacific coast, the Andes and the Amazon. Celebrations included iconic buildings going dark, events with solar energy in the highlands, beach clean-ups along the coast and reforesting degraded rainforest.

Millions of Peruvians took part in Earth Hour along the Pacific coast, the Andes and the Amazon.
Celebrations included iconic buildings going dark, events with solar energy in the highlands, beach clean-ups along the coast and reforesting degraded rainforest.

Lima, March 24, 2018. The enthusiasm and commitment of Peruvians with Earth Hour remains intact 10 years after the initiative was first held in 2009, when more than 8 million participated. More than 40 cities and dozens of private companies in all 24 states of the country joined this global call to conserve our planet. Over 7000 cities participated in more than 170 countries, as well.

"Earth Hour is a global opportunity for all of us to become aware that each one of our actions has an impact on nature. We are still on time to mitigate climate change and stop its devastating effects on biodiversity. Once again, this year, citizens, authorities and companies in our country have shown their commitment and willingness to promote sustainable actions that contribute to a living planet, where nature and humans can live together in harmony", said Patricia León-Melgar, Country Representative of WWF-Peru.

An optimistic blackout

During the afternoon, hundreds of municipalities, schools and enterprises throughout the country carried out activities to reconnect us with our planet, threatened by climate change and the loss of biodiversity. The cities took a leading role during this edition since they produce more than 70% of the world´s green house gases. A carousel of “green” activities was held throughout the country: bike rides, ecological fairs, concerts and festivals illuminated with solar energy.

At eight thirty, the most iconic monuments, squares and traditional buildings across the country turned their lights off for an hour. 60 minutes to achieve commitments for a living planet throughout 365 days of the year.

ALL ACROSS PERU
The biggest beach clean-up in history #Connect2Oceans
This vibrant day began with the largest beach clean-up ever seen in the country, on the coast of Lima, the only South American beachside capital city. Within the framework of Earth Hour, WWF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Cientifica and Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Perú universities, gathered over five hundred volunteers who removed hundreds of kilos of garbage, mostly plastics, from the beaches in the districts of Chorrillos, Barranco and Miraflores. A few hundred meters in the ocean, Odyssey, the first self-sustainable boat powered by solar and wind energy, received the visit of young Earth Hour ambassadors, accompanied by representatives of the Ministry of Environment to make a joint call to conserve the oceans and promote innovation in clean energies. Other cities along the coast joined the celebrations as well; in Trujillo hundreds of people participated in a massive bike ride dedicated to the planet, while in Pisco, Ica, near the beloved Paracas National Reserve, hundreds celebrated their connection with the sea.

The rainforest’s comeback #Connect2Forests
The Amazon was on the spotlight. States such as Madre de Dios, San Martin, Loreto -where the Amazon river originates-, and Ucayali joined Earth Hour actively. In Madre de Dios, which is considered the national capital of biodiversity, a single tree can harbor more species of ants than all the British Isles. However, in the last 15 years, activities such as slash and burn agriculture and illegal mining have caused the loss of forests in an area larger than 160,000 soccer fields. During Earth Hour, WWF together with partners CINCIA and the Municipality of Tambopata, planted 1,000 trees within degraded areas, as part of an effort that will continue beyond Earth Hour, to bring large areas of rainforest back to life.

The energy of the sun in the Andes: #Connect2yourEnergy
Along our highlands, cities in the departments of Ayacucho, Pasco, Huanuco, Cajamarca, among several others, celebrated for the planet. Monuments like the Cathedral in the city of Arequipa, which is a World Heritage Site over 300 years old, turned its lights off, while solar energy lighted cultural activities to celebrate our nature and its sustainability.

BEYOND THE HOUR: ACTIONS THAT LIGHT UP THE FUTURE
Over 70% of Peruvians live in cities, where the greatest pressures and impacts to our environment are generated. This is why; cities are where we can boost the biggest changes with simple individual actions.

For that reason, under the framework of Earth Hour, WWF-Peru along with bikers’ collective Actibicimo and Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Perú have promoted "Ciclovías X3". A proposal for sustainable mobility, that is already generating commitments towards tripling bikeways in the city, which currently reach a mere 170 kilometers. This number is far below that in other cities within the region, such as Santiago in Chile or Bogota in Colombia, both bordering nearly 400 kilometers.

Also, through the citizen-science initiative Nature in your city, WWF in collaboration with Urbes Center, Flora and Fauna and Citizen Science, called on Peruvians nationwide to reconnect with nature, through an exciting 24-hour challenge to photograph urban wildlife. Results exceeded hundreds of records with more than 30 species registered and massively shared through social media under the slogan #Connect2Nature.

BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT
The private sector also greatly contributed to an impressive Earth Hour. Throughout Peru, hundreds of enterprises and companies participated, and more than 30 made the initiative their own, such as LEC & Hunter, El Comercio, Publimetro, Tondero, Cabify and Clearchannel. Also, leading supermarket brands Wong and Metro joined with the “Manimales” initiative, a story book which invited children to create their own endangered species themed shadow hand shows at home, during Earth Hour and to assume commitments to protect wildlife. One of the top banks in Peru, Scotiabank invited its clients to connect with the planet by committing to paperless banking services, renouncing printed receipts and thus avoiding the unnecessary consumption of paper.