Timothy Ouyang, Channel NewsAsia 28 Mar 09;
SINGAPORE : Thousands of people across Singapore observed Earth Hour on Saturday, as individuals at home and organisations switched off their lights for an hour.
Many parts of Singapore were plunged into darkness, as the lights went off at 8.30pm Singapore time, and remained off until 9.30pm.
Earth Hour is a global initiative by the World Wide Fund for Nature to raise awareness of climate change. It is the second year that Earth Hour is being observed in Singapore.
Various hotels across the Marina Bay area switched off their lights at 8.30pm sharp.
Even the Singapore Flyer took part in observing Earth Hour this year.
The Fullerton Hotel dimmed its lights at 8.30pm sharp, while over at Raffles Place, the colourful lights outlining the Maybank building were switched off as well.
Downtown at Orchard Road, shopping malls also joined in to play their part in raising awareness of global warming and climate change.
More than 10,000 people pledged to take part in Earth Hour this year, and more than 450 businesses also said they would switch off their lights.
Earlier, on Saturday evening, hundreds of people gathered at the Esplanade Park for a picnic. Some of them told Channel NewsAsia that they were there to show support for Earth Hour, while others just wanted to have some fun.
Singapore is of one of the many countries in Asia that have joined the world in switching off its lights for 60 minutes. Altogether, some 83 countries are expected to observe Earth Hour this year. - CNA/ms
Having good, green fun in the dark
Over 2,000 people show up at Esplanade Park to celebrate Earth Hour by candlelight
Amresh Gunasingham, Straits Times 29 Mar 09;
It was candle power yesterday when Singaporeans and foreigners gathered downtown to mark Earth Hour.
More than 2,000 people turned up at the Esplanade Park. The event was organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature.
When The Sunday Times visited the park at 7pm, a steady stream of people had started trickling in, armed with mats and food.
As natural light faded away, families and friends huddled around lit candles. They clapped and cheered at free entertainment provided by local bands and DJs from Gold 90.5FM.
Corporations such as Nokia, NEC, Philips and SingTel had tents displaying their environmentally friendly practices.
Said trader Kenneth Kua, 45, who was there with his wife and 14-year-old son: 'We're seeing so many natural disasters around the world. Hopefully, an event like this can raise awareness and bring the global community together to slow down the effects of climate change.'
Another visitor Junaidi, 28, a financial controller from Indonesia, said: 'Even if it's just for one hour, if everyone can participate, it is a good start.'
There were some who were disappointed by the turnout. Ms Claudia Prawitsch, 33, a financial controller from Austria who has lived here for the past six years, said:
'We have more than four million people in Singapore. Many people do not believe climate change is a serious issue.'
Still, campaign manager Carine Seror, for whom the event was the culmination of six months of planning, said the response was fabulous.
'To see people getting excited over something so simple as switching off their lights for one hour, is incredible,' she said. She noted that even if only a handful of people take the message home 'to say let's do something from now on, that would be a success'.
Miss Earth Singapore 2009 Ivy Leow, 25, who attended the Esplanade Park event, agreed: 'Some people may choose not to do it today, but the event is still a start.'
Elsewhere, many companies and hotels also switched off building-facade and non-essential lighting from 8.30pm to 9.30pm.
At the Ritz-Carlton hotel, guests at the Greenhouse eatery dined in candlelight. Mr Leo Song Tong, 52, a senior manager, was there with his three children to celebrate his wife's 48th birthday.
'The idea is good but we found it a bit too dark to eat our food,' he said.
