24/03/2017: City to switch off lights of iconic buildings and landmarks in support of annual Earth Hour​

Tomorrow, 25 March 2017, the City of Joburg will join millions of people across the globe to support Earth Hour.
In partnership with the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the City will switch off the lights of iconic buildings and landmarks such as the Nelson Mandela Bridge and the Metro Centre for one hour tomorrow evening between 20:30 and 21:30.

Earth Hour is an international symbolic show of unity in the fight against climate change and the City is urging residents to be mindful of their own carbon footprint.

Together with GBCSA and WWF, we are also challenging members of the South African Property Owners Association to switch off the lights of their buildings on Saturday evening.

If every resident in Joburg turned off their lights during Earth Hour this year, the saving in respect of reduced energy usage would go a long way in reducing the City’s carbon footprint.

The City’s Growth and Development Strategy 2040 (GDS 2040) envisions a resilient, sustainable and liveable city. It also commits to climate change mitigation and identifies climate change as a cross-sectorial imperative of the City.

The City’s aspirational greenhouse gas emissions reduction target is set at between 40% and 65% by 2040.

The City’s social media team is running an online competition to encourage City employees to take part in the campaign. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram will also be used to call on residents to participate by posting pictures and videos of their Earth Hour stories.

Earth Hour is a collective action towards combating climate change.

I urge residents to go beyond just switching off their lights and appliances tomorrow evening. Implement energy-saving measures on a daily basis and spread awareness about opportunities for the conservation of our natural resources.

Media enquiries:
Cllr Nico de Jager
MMC: Environment and Infrastructure Services Department
083 899 2127
NicoDe@joburg.org.za