Thanks to popular demand, we are back to feature a few more Earth Hour heroes from around the world though to be honest, these are the people who make Earth Hour the incredible movement we all love and we need no excuse to give them the shout-out they deserve!
We start with Alexia who is the force behind Earth Hour in Cyprus.
Working with the Cyprus Green Party since the past nine years, this 35-year old mother was so taken with the power and energy of the Earth Hour movement that she launched it single-handedly in her country in 2009 and she has not looked back since. Putting her degree in sociology to good use when trying to communicate the impact and value of Earth Hour to her fellow citizens, today Alexia is using Earth Hour to encourage the public to push for a ban on plastic bags in the country.
Another Earth Hour Hero who built the movement from scratch in his country is 22-year old George. In 2011, computer science student George stumbled upon the (then) official video for Earth Hour and within seconds, he was inspired to take action. While turning off the lights in his house was easy, he struggled to spread word of the movement among the local community and media in Macedonia who had not heard of the movement before. Slowly but surely, one outlet, one channel, one landmark at a time, George managed to grow the Earth Hour movement, even receiving support from the country’s ministry of environment. In 2016, as more than 66 locations switched off their lights, George led the Earth Hour community in distributing 250 sets of LED lights to various individuals, schools and institutions.
Truly, it is inspiring to see what an individual can achieve when they set their mind, and perhaps heart, to it.
As a low-lying island nation, climate change is an urgent reality in the Maldives and when Ahmed, who in his day job crunches numbers at a broadcasting company, first found out about Earth Hour in 2009, he quickly deduced that it could become an ideal platform to revive a much-needed national debate on climate. He secured partnerships with the government, organizations and the Scout Association of Maldives and over the years, has managed to engage schools on every island in the Maldives today.
School engagement has also been a critical pillar of the Earth Hour movement in Oman where the Environment Society of Oman (ESO), the only NGO focusing on the environment in the country, has been engaging schools, colleges and communities, alongside businesses and government entities, to raise awareness on climate change. With participation increasing year on year, the team is looking forward to Earth Hour 2017 as they encourage Oman to ‘Switch Off’ and pledge their commitment to climate action.
In Oman's neighbouring country, Saudi Arabia, 34-year old Ajlan has also been helping spread the Earth Hour movement. While he first celebrated it in 2010 with friends, slowly Ajlan's commitment for social service motivated him to make the movement even bigger and today up to nine cities in the country mark Earth Hour. In 2017, celebrities, local businesses and individuals will continue to raise awareness on environmental issues with Earth Hour as Ajlan and his team of dedicated volunteers also organize an event in the capital city of Riyadh.
From Sri Lanka to Cyprus and Dominican Republic to Maldives, it has been a pleasure sharing the stories of some of our most enthusiastic supporters with you and we hope that they inspire you as much as they motivate us every single day. Their achievements show us that each of us can be a hero - all it takes is that passion to create change and the courage to take the first step. So, join us on Saturday 25 March 2017 8:30 p.m. local time, wherever you are because changing climate change begins with you.
Read part 1 of out Earth Hour Heroes series here.