Launching the Earth Hour 2016 Campaign

The Earth Hour 2016 campaign was launched in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on the morning of March 5th.

Participants at the launch ceremony in Hanoi formed the emblem of the Earth Hour campaign. Photo: VGP/Toan Thang

In Hanoi, the Earth Hour campaign, themed "Small Actions, Big Impact," was officially launched at the Hanoi University of Technology campus with the participation of leaders from relevant agencies and departments, and over 3,000 students from the capital city.

Calling for participation in the 2016 Earth Hour campaign, Mr. Nguyen Viet Son, Deputy Director General of the General Department of Energy, Ministry of Industry and Trade, emphasized: "Small actions such as turning off electrical devices when not in use, saving water, and planting more trees will bring great meaning to the community, creating a habit of saving energy and protecting the environment throughout the year."

The campaign launch event was designed with a series of activities such as: booths showcasing green products, a photo booth for those over 60, fun group games, lively musical performances, and an interactive program with the campaign ambassadors.

Following the launch event, side activities in support of the Campaign will be held throughout March nationwide. The lights-off ceremony will take place from 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM on March 19th at the August Revolution Square.

The Earth Hour campaign was launched in 2007 by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to raise public awareness about climate change and energy conservation worldwide. The campaign has received support from over 7,000 cities in 172 countries around the world.

This is the 8th year Vietnam has participated in the global Earth Hour campaign and also the 5th year the Ministry of Industry and Trade has chaired this activity. Since 2012, the campaign in Vietnam has been led by the Ministry of Industry and Trade with technical support from the Danish Embassy in Vietnam and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Vietnam Electricity Corporation and Daikin Vietnam are partners in the 2016 Earth Hour campaign.

* Also on the morning of March 5th, at the Youth Cultural Center in Ho Chi Minh City, a press conference was held to announce and launch the Earth Hour 2016 campaign with the message "I have chosen to live green, what about you?".

Images from the campaign launch ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City.

At the press conference, representatives from the campaign coordination board presented an overview of the activities to be carried out during this year's campaign. Accordingly, in addition to more extensive development projects from previous years such as "Green Movement," "Green Community," and "Green Leap," this year will feature two completely new innovative projects: "Green Destination" and "Green Shelter," contributing to a stronger spread of the campaign's spirit to people of various ages, professions, and living environments in society.

Initially, over 5,000 volunteers registered to participate in the 2016 Earth Hour campaign in Ho Chi Minh City.

The main event, "Joining Hands to Turn Off Lights Globally in Response to Earth Hour 2016," will take place from 3:30 PM to 10:00 PM on March 19th at the Youth Cultural Center in Ho Chi Minh City. The program is expected to attract over 5,000 young people and residents from across the city, with the focus on encouraging people to turn off their lights for one hour worldwide (at 8:30 PM Vietnam time).

In 2015, in Ho Chi Minh City alone, the program attracted more than 25,000 volunteers and over 1,000 businesses and production facilities in the city to participate.

According to Chinhphu.vn