If
you were planning a wild night out this Saturday, you might want to
pump the brakes just this once. The annual Earth Hour movement is
back, and come Mar 24, the
Singapore skyline is projected to go dim at 8:30pm sharp.
In
its 11th year, the landmark movement by World Wide Fund for Nature
(WWF) is once again inviting companies and individuals alike to
switch off their lights for one hour—and plug into a global
conversation about our planet. While the actual act won’t be
coordinated across time zones, the official Earth
Hour 2018 has been set for Mar 24, 8:30-9:30pm,
wherever you are around the globe.
Leading up to the event, WWF
Singapore is holding a 10-day, plastic-free festival that
kicked off on Mar 16. This
year’s initiative addresses plastic waste and the global plastic
crisis; so heads up that no single-use plastics will be provided by
vendors there. Further, Singaporeans are asked to support the
#uselessplastic commitment—a nifty wordplay that encourages both
reducing of plastic use, and refusing “useless” and unnecessary
plastics such as straws, bags and stirrers. Previous editions
raised awareness on environmental issues like haze pollution (in
2016).
Within the Earth Hour Village, visitors can look forward to
interactive art and experiences—such as a Panda Dome featuring a
360-degree projection that transports viewers to lush nature
settings, and follows a protagonist plagued by plastic waste.
Another work—four art installations by LaSalle College of the Arts
students—is made from used plastics that range from single-use
plastics to microplastics. For anyone who finds the sustainable art
element familiar, the event is held in conjunction with sustainable
light art festival i Light Marina Bay 2018.
In
addition, a special Earth Hour Marketplace taking
place Mar
23-25 will bring together sustainable F&B vendors
as well as eco-friendly businesses, such as VeganBurg and Charles
& Keith respectively. Everything comes to a happy close at the
60+ Countdown Bash on Mar 24, which
will see local acts like Tacit Aria, Jack & Rai and Dru Chen
perform till the sun goes down and the lights go out.
According to WWF, in Singapore, a person uses 13 plastic bags a
day, amounting to 27 billion plastic bags every year. Taiwan
recently took a monumental step forward in forecasting
a ban
on all single-use plastic by 2030; while the world
casts its eyes on Singapore to follow suit, we might as well make
the most of baby steps like Earth Hour.
Earth
Hour Village happens through Mar
25 at the open area near The Float @ Marina
Bay. Admission is free and more
information here.