www.facebook.com/earthhour
Earth Hour - the largest campaign in history for the planet – has exclusively premiered its Earth Hour 2011 video on Facebook.
Created by one of the world’s most successful independent producers, Village Roadshow, and international award-winning animation and visual effects studio, Animal Logic, the Earth Hour 2011 video captures the passion of Earth Hour demonstrated in 128 countries this year.
Australian band, The Temper Trap, currently in the middle of a sell-out world tour including Glastonbury (UK), Outside Lands Festival (San Francisco) and Corona Capital Festival (Mexico), provided the award-winning backing track “Sweet Disposition”, despite having “retired” the single from partnerships.
The emotive three-minute video showcases a mosaic of professional and amateur imagery shared by the hundreds of millions of people across the planet who took part in the most recent Earth Hour. It features media reports from the night as well as quotes from Earth Hour Ambassadors including The Most Reverend Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Italian Football Icon, Francesco Totti.
Earth Hour Co-Founder, Andy Ridley, says that it is a great honor to have world-renowned artists working together to help spread Earth Hour’s message.
“Earth Hour proves beyond anything else that one person has the power to make change,” Ridley says.
“Not only does this video inspire everyone to take action, but it demonstrates the depths of the desire of millions of people from all walks of life who want a better, healthy world,” he says.
Earth Hour 2010 embraced 4,616 cities and towns in 128 countries and territories and involved hundreds of millions of people worldwide.
Design Director, Toby Grime of Animal Logic, says that it was the sheer breadth of footage and photographs from world citizens that truly inspired the video’s direction.
“When you see the imagery that has been captured via mobile phones and amateur video cameras, it brings to life how everyday citizens have taken Earth Hour to their hearts and want to own a solution for the future of the planet,” he says.
Village Roadshow Chairman, John Kirby, says Earth Hour is a call to action for every individual, business and community throughout the world to stand up; take responsibility; get involved and lead the global journey to a sustainable future.
“It is not a question of whether Village Roadshow should support Earth Hour but how we could. It is simply our responsibility as citizens of a global community,” he says.
The visual beauty of the video is brought together by the song Sweet Disposition by achingly cool band of the moment, The Temper Trap, whose lyrics appropriately capture the determination of Earth Hour - “Won’t stop ‘til it’s over; Won’t stop to surrender.”
Mr Ridley says that the world is ready for Earth Hour’s evolution. “In under three short years, Earth Hour has grown to reach over a billion people worldwide - the largest voluntary action ever witnessed,” he says. “If we can achieve this, imagine what else can be done.”
Earth Hour 2011 will take place at 8.30pm, Saturday, 26 March, 2011.
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Notes to editors
To view the Earth Hour 2011 video, please go to www.facebook.com/earthhour. Broadcast quality & stills are available from this site. Earth Hour has over 412,000 Facebook page fans.
For more information please visit:
Earth Hour – www.earthhour.org
Village Roadshow – www.village.com.au
Animal Logic – www.animallogic.com
The Temper Trap – www.thetempertrap.com
Credits:
Script: Village Roadshow
Art Direction: Animal Logic
Audio: Zigzag – www.zigzaglane.com.au
Soundtrack: The Temper Trap (Liberation)
Interviews:
To interview Andy Ridley, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Earth Hour, please contact:
Kirsten Hodgon, Director of Communications, Earth Hour Global
Ph: +61 (0) 424 507 095E: khodgon@wwf.org.au
To interview Toby Grime, Earth Hour Design Director, Animal Logic, please contact:
Anna Hildebrandt
Ph: +61 2 9383 4800E: anna.hildebrandt@al.com.au
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United States and Canada have joined forces to leave a resounding punctuation on Earth Hour’s call for action on climate change, as the global ‘lights out’ relay nears the end of its 24-hour cycle.
US:With the official support of 33 States and with Earth Hour observed in all others, including the national capital, every state across the US has participated in Earth Hour’s global display of action on global warming.
Earth Hour in the US enjoyed the support of governors from both sides of the aisle, mayors, state legislators, government officials, business, religious and community leaders, university presidents and teachers.
Lights went out at one of the best lit places on Planet Earth – the welcome sign and strip at Las Vegas, Nevada. At least 45 other landmarks – from the Empire State building to the Golden Gate bridge – also marked the occasion. They included the Art Deco masterpiece of the Chrysler Building in New York along with the United Nations building.
In Washington DC, the National Cathedral and Smithsonian Castle, which houses the administrative functions of the Smithsonian Institution, observed Earth Hour while in the other Washington, the Space Needle in Seattle faded into the night sky. The Queen Mary Hotel – a former Ocean liner – and Montezuma Castle, ancient cliff dwellings in Arizona, and Mt Rushmore, adorned with gigantic sculptures of US presidents, showed some of the range of monuments to turn off.
Canada:For one hour a section of the border between Canada and the US was visually and symbolically removed, as a jointly coordinated switch off saw the iconic Niagara Falls disappear in the night. Nearly the last attractions to turn off in both countries were also notable suspension bridges completed less than a year apart – San Francisco’s Golden Gate (1937) and Vancouver’s Lion Gate (1938) bridges.
Canada has a tradition of strong Earth Hour support, and 2010, with some cites and towns taking part is no exception.
Now in its second year an Earth Hour concert and street party held in downtown Barrie, Ontario, appears to have become a custom. The event itself is in keeping with the theme of Earth Hour - to keep it fun, and to raise awareness about climate change - and is kept lively by international acts as well as local buskers, musicians and artists.
In nearby Toronto, the CN Tower, the world tallest free-standing structure, again dimmed its lights for Earth Hour, in yet another almighty display of landmark action on climate change that has circumnavigated the world.
(Toronto skyline before and during Earth Hour: image credit - a&t photogrpahy)
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