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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Taiwanese unite at Earth Hour events
Vice President Chen Chien-jen yesterday holds a clapboard encouraging people to join an Earth Hour event at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei in the evening. Photo: Lee Hsin-fang, Taipei Times
IN THE DARK: The vice president also got involved in the global event, announcing that the Presidential Office Building’s outside lights would be turned off
/ Staff writer, with CNA
Numerous events were held across Taiwan to observe Earth Hour yesterday in a push for real action to reduce energy consumption, event organizers said.
Members of the public were encouraged to turn off unnecessary lights for one hour to “get connected to Earth,” said Liu Yue-mei （劉月梅）, chairwoman of the Society of Wilderness, which coordinates the nationwide events each year.
“This year we also want to highlight the importance of biodiversity and invite people to try to mitigate climate change and humanity’s impact on the environment,” Liu said.
According to Taiwan Power Co （Taipower） data, last year Earth Hour saved Taiwan 80,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, the equivalent of 51 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, which equates to planting nearly 5,000 trees.
An event was held outside the Taipei City Hall from 5pm to 10pm yesterday, with lights being turned off at 8:30pm, the society said.
There was a theater performance in the dark about how a Taiwanese family reacts to the annual global movement, which was organized by conservation group WWF.
Local civic groups, including the Taiwan Black Bear Conservation Association, Greenpeace, the Kuroshio Ocean Education Foundation and the Homemakers United Foundation, also set up booths to promote the easy steps that people can take to protect the environment, such as cutting back on the amount of plastic products they use.
Vice President Chen Chien-jen （陳建仁） announced on Facebook yesterday that the Presidential Office Building’s external lights would also be turned off for an hour from 8:30pm to 9:30pm.
“I hereby urge everyone to join the various efforts to save energy and reduce carbon emissions, to explore more possibilities, to take action and to incorporate these ideas into our everyday life for the sake of our Earth,” Chen said.
In Yunlin County, the society’s event took place in the park next to the Huwei Township （虎尾） gymnasium. It featured a parade and lights were turned off at 7:30pm.
In neighboring Chiayi County, a star-gazing event was organized to observe Earth Hour at 7pm at the Chiayi County Hall.
In Tainan, an event took place at the “Big Tail” plaza near the Tainan Municipal Cultural Center at 6:30pm. It featured music and performances by street artists, with its lights being turned off at 8:30pm.
Several hotels across Taiwan also joined in solidarity with communities around the globe by turning off their external lights for an hour.
