Dare to do more for the planet

The country’s major landmarks, including the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and Qanat Al Qasba in Sharjah are to join Earth Hour.

The country’s major landmarks will be among buildings across the UAE blacking out for an hour on Saturday night to join the rest of the world in observing the largest single climate change awareness event – Earth Hour.

The first Earth Hour was observed in 2007, and this year’s event will take a major leap beyond the now annual lights-out gesture and for the first time dare people to do more.

Under the theme ‘I Will If You Will’, participants are being encouraged to share a personal challenge with the world by asking “What are you willing to do to save the planet?”.

The ‘I Will If You Will’ campaign uses the YouTube video platform and other social networking websites to empower people to dare the world to save the planet.

“It is all about challenging others to do an action of environmental significance in return for a similar action or dare by the challenger,” said Reem Al Thawadi, communications officer at Emirates Wildlife Society – World Wildlife Fund. “The idea is to get people talking about sustainability and green issues through the question ‘What are you willing to do to save the planet?’”

The campaign was launched online last month and has already received a good response from the public.

The UAE took part in Earth Hour for the first time in 2008 and its popularity has grown each year. Last year’s event resulted in the saving of 204,000kw of electricity and 122,000kg of carbon emissions in Dubai alone thanks to the participation of individuals, firms, government departments and schools.

“This time round it will be stretched since the new campaign binds the two parts in a kind of a social contract of promises and challenges. People will have to deliver on their promises,” said Al Thawadi.

abdu.baasit@7days.ae

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

You can get behind the ‘I Will if You Will’ campaign by visiting www.youtube.com/wwfuae to view and accept their challenges – and post your own challenge.

To join Earth Hour and learn more about other events, please visit www.ewswwf.ae/earthhour

OUR CHALLENGE

7DAYS will let Dubai 92’s Catboy and Geordiebird edit the newspaper for a day IF 1,000 of our readers pledge to recycle their copies of 7DAYS.

You can see the video and take the pledge via www.facebook.com/7DAYSUAE – all you’ve got to do is click on the ‘I will if you will’ banner and you go straight through to the EWS-WWF site where you simply click to take the pledge – we need 1,000 of you to do it. Get pledging people…

WE WILL IF YOU WILL

HH Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Ali Al Nuaimi (aka the Green Sheikh) pledged:

“If 6,000 people in the UAE recycle all the unused medicine at their homes in the six weeks starting April 1 and let me know about it, I will fast for six days beyond the mandatory fasting period of Ramadan. And believe me that is very tough when you see everyone around you eating and drinking.”

The team on Kris Fade’s show on Virgin Radio 104.4fm have pledged:

“If your school sets up a recycling centre and you let us know about it, we will then take the Kris Fade show to your school. Set up the recycling centre now and post the photos on the Virgin Radio website.”

Ali Al Saloom has pledged:

“If 10,000 people give up using plastic bags and instead use eco-friendly bags, I will then completely give up using my three mobile phone handsets for 72 hours.”

Reem Al Thawadi, from Emirates Wildlife Society – World Wildlife Fund, says:

“I will cycle around a public park wearing a panda suit if 300 people in UAE upload their own ‘I Will If You Will’ challenges’.”