This year, among others, the Presidency of the Hellenic Republic, the sacred rock of the Acropolis, the Temple of Hephaestus, the monument of Philopappos, the White Tower, the Temple of Poseidon in Sounio, the Kallimarmaro (Panathenaic Stadium), the Center Stavros Niarchos Foundation of Culture, Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”
This year, as every year, millions of people in Greece and around the world joined their voices on Saturday night, sending a resounding message for her protection of our common home, the planetbut also creating the longest hour for Earth.
According to WWF, thousands of agencies, businesses, attractions and landmarks from around the world took an active part in this year’s “Earth Hour”, symbolically turning off the lights for one hour, claiming in this way a sustainable future for all.
The response in Greece for participation in “Earth Hour” was also warm for another year. Dozens of organizations responded to WWF Greece’s call to turn off the lights for an hour and send their own message for the protection of the environment.
In particular, as the organization announced, this year the Presidency of the Hellenic Republic, the sacred rock of the Acropolis, the temple of Hephaestus, the monument of Philopappos, the White Tower, the Temple of Poseidon in Sounio, the Kallimarmaro (Panathenaikos Stadium), the Amfissa Castle, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, the Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”, as well as dozens of municipalities in the country.
Also, the lights of the House of Parliament were turned off from 20:30 to 21:30, “as a symbolic act, which underlines the imperative need to take action against Climate Change and the destruction of the environment”, it is noted in a related announcement: “The Greek Parliament, proving in practice its ecological awareness, firmly and actively supports environmental actions. At the same time, through energy upgrades to its building infrastructure, as well as through selected interventions in its daily operation (heating systems, lighting, digital document handling, integrated recycling management), it drastically reduces its energy footprint, contributing to the global effort to save energy and environmental protection.”
Jason Kantas, Communication & Mobilization Manager, WWF Greece, told the Athens Agency: “Earth Hour is the largest global participatory campaign for the environment and is a powerful call to action. Every year, millions of citizens, but also hundreds of thousands of organizations worldwide, join forces, send a resounding message and fight together for the world we deserve. This year, Greece was once again a force to be reckoned with, with iconic landmarks darkened, citizens activated, institutions and businesses participating in their own way. This participation fills us with strength and optimism, as only together we can give life back to nature and face the double crisis of climate and biodiversity loss.”
Finally, for another year, he participated in the initiative the Hellenic Scout Corps and the Hellenic Guidance Corps. Finally, this year ERT also contributes to the even greater dissemination of the message for the protection of nature, by actively participating in “Earth Hour”, through the information of its audience, but also by the symbolic darkening of the facade of the Agia Paraskevi Radio Building.
Restoring nature at the heart of Earth Hour 2023
This year in particular, “Earth Hour” focused on the restoration of nature, i.e. the restoration of degraded natural ecosystems that have been affected by mainly anthropogenic activities. The state of our planet’s health has unfortunately reached a tipping point. 80% of Europe’s nature is in poor condition, while worldwide wildlife populations have declined by 69% since 1970. The climate crisis has ceased to be a scenario on paper and has become a tangible everyday life with countless and unpredictable consequences.
In this context, according to WWF, this year’s “Earth Hour” addressed a call to all citizens to put aside their daily routine for an hour and allocate 60 precious minutes, in order to implement simple, but essential actions which will contribute to the restoration of nature. With actions – symbolic and non- symbolic – the citizens proved that they can make a difference and become part of the solution.
This one hour dedicated to nature by millions of citizens around the world marked the most important time for the planet, but also for man.
Source: Skai
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