DEWA urges families to support Earth Hour event at The Walk

Prior to the start of Earth Hour, DEWA staff will be handing out free Earth Hour lanterns, Earth Hour T-shirts and Earth Hour balloons to members of the public.

They will then be able to place the lit lanterns on cut outs of the words Earth Hour, in Arabic and English, which will be positioned between the Hilton Hotel car park and The Walk's public car park.

DEWA will also be staffing a children's Earth Hour area, which will focus on energy saving activities, close to the Hilton Hotel. Sparkey, DEWA's conservation champion will be on hand supporting Earth Hour. DEWA has also invited government officials and staff, schools, and universities to take part in Earth Hour at The Walk, or at home.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of DEWA said, "Earth Hour is an opportunity for families to join together in a spirit of conservation to help secure a sustainable future for the Earth. It is everyone's responsibility to use our resources wisely and efficiently."

"We also urge those who cannot get to The Walk to participate in Earth Hour by switching off all unnecessary lighting and electrical appliances from 8.30pm until 9.30pm on Saturday evening. By doing so we can send a clear message about the need to act on climate change for the sake of the generations to come," he added.

Amal Koshak, Senior Manager - Demand and Tariff Management, DEWA added, "Last year, Dubai was the first Arab city to participate in Earth Hour and is once again leading the way in the region. By switching off unnecessary lights and electricial appliances, not just during Earth Hour but throughout the year, people can Vote Earth and against climate change."

Earth Hour has the official support of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, and Dubai Government departments.

Billed, by the WWF, as the largest mass participation effort ever, Earth Hour will embrace more than 2712 cities in over 83 countries. In addition to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Fujeirah, in the UAE, lights will be switched off, or dimmed, in all the world's major cities, including Sydney, Beijing, Hong Kong, Manila, Singapore, Mumbai, Delhi, Cape Town, Athens, Paris, Berlin, London, New York, Toronto, San Francisco, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro and Honolulu.