Live Green: One Switch at a Time
The hour has come for Sunway Pyramid to take the lead and switch off all non-essential lights in support of Earth Hour. On March 26, millions of people across the globe will switch off their lights from 8.30pm to 9.30pm, 26 March 2011, collectively taking a stand against climate change, demonstrating that every individual counts in changing the course of a warming planet. Earth Hour started by WWF-Australia in 2007, has grown into the largest global movement for the environment led by the WWF network. This year, as the official venue sponsor, Sunway Pyramid partners with WWF- Malaysia.
“For Earth Hour 2011, WWF prepares to showcase a growing global community committed to taking environmental actions that go beyond the hour. From now until Earth Hour 2012, WWF-Malaysia is urging everyone across the nation to take Earth Hour beyond the hour by signing up at wwf.org.my and pledging to “Live Green: One switch at a time” towards more sustainable lifestyles. The more people who make this pledge, the more powerful our efforts to protect our living planet become,” said WWF-Malaysia Executive Director/CEO Dato’ Dr Dionysius Sharma.
“It is important for us to nurture the environment back to health,” said Sunway Pyramid CEO Mr. H.C. Chan. “because if the environment is sick, if Mother Nature is sick, it will eventually get back to us and make us sick too. In fact, it is already happening to us. This is a global affair. There are many illnesses and deaths caused by the polluted environment and our way of living.”
“This year is the first time we are working together with WWF-Malaysia and Sunway Pyramid is chosen as WWF-Malaysia’s venue sponsor. With this partnership, we hope to be able to provide a platform for WWF-Malaysia to reach out a vast number of our shoppers through the Earth Hour programme,” he added.
Earth Hour began with WWF Australia as a single-city initiative in 2007, Earth Hour has grown into a global movement where hundreds of millions of people from every continent join together to acknowledge the importance of protecting our planet – by switching off non-essential lights for one hour. Sunway Pyramid caught the Earth Hour fever in 2009 and adopted the green mission by accentuating the meaningful hour with various activities that will send the message home.
It was a full ‘green’ day at Sunway Pyramid leading up to Earth Hour. Outside the Orange Entrance, from 10am to 10pm, a WWF-Malaysia Bazaar added a splash of colour with 4 booths selling WWF T-shirts, reusable shopping bags, SMK Bandar Sunway’s handmade handicraft and Sunway Pyramid’s newly launched BYOB shopping trolley bags, sold for RM35 per unit.
Also at the WWF-Malaysia Bazaar, the public were treated to sneak previews of the “Dance in the Dark” for Earth Hour 2011 as well as appearances of the WWF panda mascot and Sunway Pyramid’s mascot Leo the Lion.
Throughout the mall, huge pledge boards were located strategically at all shopping mall levels, urging shoppers to pledge to switch off all non-essential lights during Earth Hour and to take small actions towards a more sustainable lifestyle.
When it was evening, outside the Main Entrance, Mr. H.C. Chan, Dato’ Dr Dionysius Sharma, celebrities, the media and the public gathered to witness the launch of Earth Hour. They did the countdown together and witnessed how the mall’s front façade, street lightings, the lion’s eyes, some outlets in the mall and at the Oasis Boulevard disappeared in darkness after Mr. H.C. Chan and Dato’ Dr Dionysius Sharma flicked the power switch, signifying the launch of Earth Hour.
Mr. H.C. Chan, Dato’ Dr Dionysius Sharma, celebrities RedFM deejay Jeremy Teo and Rina Omar, media and public then passed around candles and lit them up together. While the candle flames spread, members of the public joined the “Dance in the Dark” for Earth Hour 2011, led by dancers from WWF-Malaysia with support by students from local colleges. 60 dancers had glow-in-the-dark paint while the other participants had glow-in-the-dark arm bands. The dance steps had been uploaded on WWF-Malaysia’s facebook the week before to prepare the public for the event.
After that, the musical percussionists took the stage, playing methodical beats from recycled items such as plastic bottles, pots, pans, basins and plastic bags. This group of musicians are YAWA – Yayasan Anak Warisan Alam, comprising youths aged 10 to 18 years.
Before long, the flash mob dancers were back with their reprise of the “Dance in the Dark” for Earth Hour 2011, choreographed to the song, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” which was appropriate for Sunway Pyramid’s famous lions.
Quickly enough, the whole fun-tastic Earth Hour soon passed. Mr. H.C. Chan, Dato’ Dr Dionysius Sharma, the celebrities and the media took the stage and led another countdown to switch the lights back on. The crowd began counting again and at the count of zero, the lights at Sunway Pyramid façade, street lightings, some outlets in the mall, at Oasis Boulevard and the lion’s eyes lit up again.
The meaningful hour that passed us by has just demonstrated how possible it is for us to spend an hour having fun and saving electricity at the same time, helping to raise awareness about the importance of mitigating climate change. With this in mind, it is hoped that the participating crowd who have experienced this could carry on switching off all non-essential lights beyond Earth Hour.
The final show, a wayang kulit (or shadow puppet play) wrapped up Earth Hour and sent the green message home. Themed ‘Empty Earth’, the wayang kulit was performed by Tree Theatre Group, a group comprising parents and children who actively voice out environmental issues through creative expressions and have performed all over the world. The ‘Empty Earth’ features UNEP Billion Tree Campaign song ‘Tears of Trees’ and ‘Heal Our World’, subtly reminding us of our responsibility towards our planet.
Prior to Earth Hour, other environmentally-friendly highlights including a display of an Electrolux vacuum cleaner made of sea waste coming all the way from Sweden (16 – 20 Mar) and Malaysia’s first Eco-themed Home and Living Expo located at Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre (18 – 20 Mar), made its mark at the mall.
The BYOB trolley bags featured during Earth Hour at the WWF Bazaar can also be purchased for RM30 when shoppers spend a minimum of RM50 in two accumulated receipts or less or purchased off-the-shelf for RM35 at the BYOB Redemption Counter located at the Ground Floor during the Malaysia GP Sale.
Other green initiatives by Sunway Pyramid besides Earth Hour and BYOB trolley bags include the ‘Go Green with Leo’ programme running from 29 March to 27 July 2011 where Sunway Pyramid mascot, Leo the Lion will visit five kindergartens to instil the value of green living by teaching children everyday green habits.
The Sunway Integrated Resort City (SIRC) is a testament to the entrenched values of the Sunway brand - excellence, innovation and integrity. Touted to be the most innovative and progressive development in Malaysia today, SIRC offers a multitude of services ranging from the best in education, hospitality, healthcare, entertainment, commercial spaces and exclusive resort-style homes. SIRC is a promise of unyielding quality and an investment for the future.
About WWF-Malaysia
WWF-Malaysia (World Wide Fund for Nature-Malaysia), the national conservation trust, currently runs more than 75 projects covering a diverse range of environmental protection work. Since 1972, WWF-Malaysia has worked on important conservation projects, from saving endangered species such as tigers and turtles, to protecting our highland forests, rivers and seas. We also undertake environmental education and advocacy work to achieve conservation goals. By conserving our natural resources, WWF-Malaysia is helping to protect our livelihoods, food and water supply, thus securing our good quality of life and our children’s bright future. We thank our supporters whose donations enable our conservation work. If you would like to donate to WWF-Malaysia or learn more about our projects, please call: +603-78033772 or visit our website at: wwf.org.my. WWF-Malaysia thanks Earth Hour official venue sponsor Sunway Pyramid and Shinjiru for developing the Earth Hour web pages.
RSVP or Media Enquiries, please contact:
Mr Darren Chear
Marketing Communications Manager
Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall
DID: 03-7494 3037
Fax: 03-7492 6333
Email: darrenc@sunway.com.my
Ms Sabrina Koh
Media and Public Affairs Assistant
WWF - Malaysia
DID: 03-7803 3772 ext 6306
Fax: 03-7803 5157
Email: EHuey@wwf.org.my
Ms Elycia Lee Su Yen
Marketing Communications Executive
Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall
DID: 03-7494 3034
Fax: 03-7492 6333
Email: elycialsy@sunway.com.my
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