Did you do your 60+ hours of saving Mother Earth?

On 26th March, 2011 the world grew silent as we rejoiced for mother earth. Earth Hour was conceived by WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and The Sydney Morning Herald in 2007. Since then Earth Hour has become a global event and is held on the last Saturday of March every year. This year it was held from 8:30 p.m till 9:30 p.m.

The idea behind Earth Hour is to raise awareness and take action against the issue of climate change. During this time all households as well as businesses are encouraged to switch off their non-essential lights and other electrical appliances for one hour.

This year has seen active participation from not only from individuals but from quite a few brands as well. To mark its support for energy conservation during Earth Hour 2011 Volkswagen switched off the lights across all their hoarding sites in Mumbai.

Mandeep Malhotra, President, Mudra Max-OOH said, "Earth Hour presents a unique opportunity for Volkswagen to show its commitment to the cause of energy conservation. The recent events in Japan and other parts of the world have underlined the need for greater use of safe and sustainable sources of energy. By this small act, Volkswagen has showed its intent to make a difference by following business practices that are geared to optimizing energy consumption."

Following in the green footsteps is Le Meridien Hotels in Jaipur, Pune, Chennai and Delhi will be going dark to support the world awareness event. The hotel will be turning off exterior signage lighting; dimming or turning off non-essential interior lighting; using candlelight in appropriate public areas such as restaurants and bars. Le Méridien, the Paris-born hotel brand was acquired by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT).

Dilip Puri, Managing Director India and Regional Vice President South Asia, Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels and Resorts Pvt Ltd.," Starwood Hotels and Resorts has always been an organization that is conscious about the environment. Last year, the unlit hotels offered striking visual imagery that provided an apt symbol of Earth Hour. Taking our support toward this event to the next level, we are taking various measures and are proud to be part of something as big and noble as this. We would also like to take the opportunity to ask our guests and patrons to help us contribute. We even look forward to go beyond the Earth Hour and make a difference"

The world has over years become closer and more environmentally friendly. More people are making a conscious effort to conserve and save energy and furthermore reusing and recycling. So with this I ask how are you saving our planet? | By Vanessa Azavedo [vanessa(at)adgully.com]