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Sydney Opera House diets for Earth Hour

The staff at World Heritage site, the Sydney Opera House, have pledged to go on a month-long “paper diet” as part of Earth Hour’s I Will If You Will challenge campaign. Staff will reduce paper usage and also hold a paper-free day on 30 March 2012. Dedicated staff within the sustainability “Green Team” will go even further by going paperless for an entire year if 200 colleagues accept the “paper diet” challenge.

“Our pledge to ‘Go beyond the Hour’ with a paper diet for the month of March this year has been a great success.Our people have been ultra-competitive in the race for the best paper saver. Some of us have also actively implemented new processes to save paper, such as training teams in how to sign documents electronically; referring to tour schedules online; and rolling out e-tendering.” Naomi Martin, Manager, Sustainability & Energy at Sydney Opera House.

The Sydney Opera House initiatives form part of a broader sustainability action plan committed to improving energy efficiency, reducing the carbon footprint and sustainability education of stakeholders. OR No image credits supplied by Sydney Opera House.

Roma’s golden boy is kicking goals for Earth Hour

One of the greatest footballers of his generation, Francesco Totti, has signed on as an Ambassador for Earth Hour 2012. Known as Il Bimbo d’Oro (The Golden Boy), Totti is the captain of Seria A club Roma, where he is the highest goal-scorer of all time. Considered among the most popular footballers in Europe, this will be the fourth year that Totti has used his profile to raise awareness for Earth Hour.

Writer Jerry James Stone goes vegan for Earth Hour

For somebody who posts recipes for burnt honey gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce, becoming vegan won’t be easy. But that’s what Jerry James Stone has pledged to do for Earth Hour. Stone, the producer and recipe developer for Treehugger’s Green Wine Guide, has been a vegetarian for some 20 years, but always felt that going vegan was a step too far. Until now that is. His IWIYW promise is to go vegan for a whole month if 1,000 of his fans go vegan for a week.

“I have always been a little vegan-curious, but the thought of giving up Gouda cheese or honey has always made me act out violently,” he jokes. “But our food system is in peril. It's undeniable. So if 1,000 people are willing to give up Gouda for a spell, so should I.” Head to YouTube to see the challenge.

Italian National Rugby Team under the banner for the first time

Under the WWF banner for the very first time, the Italian Rugby Team scrummed down for the planet, playing at the Olympic Stadium in Rome at the recent Six Nations Tournament. The Italian team and Federugby support the fight against climate change, and a few days before their official debut, the official Italian Earth Hour video was shot at the Olympic Stadium. The video shows rugby stars Andrea Lo Cicero, Simone Favaro and Cornelius Van Zyl, ‘passing the panda’, and inviting their fans and the general public to change their bad habits and ‘team up’ for a more sustainable world.

Our planet’s smallest citizens offer the biggest inspiration…

16-year old Nathi Mzileni organised Swaziland’s Earth Hour response all by himself last year and in 2012 he’s doing it all again, persuading Big Game Parks to participate in the new I WIll if You Will campaign, by offering a group of Year-7 students a tour and lunch, in return for clearing the main road of rubbish three times a year. He’s also garnered the support of Swaziland’s biggest newspaper to promote Earth Hour, and enlisted the backing of three government departments.

“I am only young. But I believe that we have to work together to make things happen to make this world a better place. It's important and important to me. And if I can do it, anybody can.”

India lends its weight to Earth Hour

Megacity challenges, celebrity endorsements and pedal powered stadium concerts; India is getting behind Earth Hour with a passion. This year the world’s most populous democracy has a host of events lined up for March 31 with some of the country’s best known citizens getting right behind the campaign. These include film actors Dhanush, Rana Daggubati, and Rituparna Sengupta; classical musicians Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan; and cricket’s ‘little master’, Sachin Tendulkar who is India’s national face of Earth Hour. Right across India, the megacities will be competing for the award of Earth Hour champion, with people turning out to make sure their city wins. New Delhi will be hosting a major MTV Unplugged concert utilising alternative energy sources to power the performances, while down south, Mysore Palace, India’s most popular tourist attraction, will be hosting a concert and switching off its lights for Earth Hour.