Green Army Newsroom

On March 27, the country was literally engulfed in darkness from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m as 1076 cties, towns and municipalities joined Earth Hour 2010, sending a signal around the globe that the Philippines is in harmony to save Mother Earth from the effects of climate change.  

Event organizer Earth Hour Philippines, composed of the World Wide for Nature-Philippines, Department of Energy, Switch Movement, and Green Army Network, was overwhelmed by the success and scope of this event as the Philippines ranked first worldwide in terms of pubic participation for two consecutive years.

Since 2009, Earth Hour Philippines has reawakened the Filipino spirit of collective advocacy as it brings forward solutions for climate change. "Earth Hour does not end when the lights are switched back on," says newly-appointed Climate Change Commissioner and Earth Hour National Director Yeb Saño. "The switch-off signifies the start of a very personal and lasting lifestyle change to minimize our ecological impacts and to do our bit for a more sustainable planet. Personal pledges can take many forms, from upgrading to energy-efficient appliances to planting and stewarding a small grove of native trees."

Iloilo City  -- Over seven hundred people from the various sectors attended the 'Earth Hour' Road Show in the University of the Philippines, Iloilo City Campus on March 2, 2010. 

Newly appointed Commissioner of the Climate Change Task Force,  Mr. Naderev Sanyo presented the plans for  'Earth Hour Pilipinas 2010 and enjoined the community to signify commitment to the said initiative. This was warmly welcomed by the Iloilo residents as the City officials, students, business groups, and Non-Government Organizations expressed their commitment to switch off their lights on March 27. 

The roadshow aims to broaden awareness on issues of climate change and energy conservation as well as to broaden public participation in this year's holding of Earth Hour on March 27. 

Earth Hour is an annual global event held every last Saturday of March where every household all over the world are urged to turn off their lights for one hour to help address global warming by reducing carbon emissions in tne atmosphere. 

Last year, the Philippines topped among 88 participating countries with the most number of residential households that participated in the global call to switch off power for one hour. More than 15 million Filipinos around 650 major towns and cities from distant islands participated in Earth Hour 2009 while the country also placed first in town and city participation, this is learned.

Initial reports stated was that the Philippines saved 611 megawatt-hours as electric grid figures reported that 386 megawatt-hours were saved in Luzon, 150-megawatt-hours in Mindanao and 75 megawatt-hours in Visayas.

In line with the preparations for the Earth Hour 2010, the Department of Energy together with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) , the Switch Movement and the Green Army Network is conduting a series of Earh Hour Road Show Event in strategic areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao for the months of February and March, 2010. 

The road shows aims to promote environmental awareness and broaden public participation in this year's holding of Earth Hour on March 27, 2010. 

The PTFCC Presentation by Sec. Angelo Reyes (22 Oct 2007) is now available for download here.

Watershed:

Watershed is an area of land on a slope which drains its water into a creek, stream, marsh, river, lake or groundwater. It is also defined as an area of land that drains water, sediment, and dissolved materials to a common outlet point. For this reason, the watershed is also known as a catchment area or drainage basin.