WWF France's Sixty Minutes for the Planet on Saturday March 28, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009For Earth Hour, organized by Worldwide Wildlife Foundation France on Saturday March 28 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., the city of Paris is coming together to show its support in the fight against climate change.
Events start at 7:45 p.m. at Trocadero square, the famous vantage point from which every visitor to Paris photographs the Eiffel Tower. Jim Leape, director of WWF international and Serge Orru will join French celebrities and everyday citizens in helping our planet.
The outdoor lighting which has led Paris to be known as the city of lights will go out on over 200 monuments. For one hour, Notre Dame will glow no more. The Louvre and its signature pyramid will disappear into the darkness. The fountains of the Place de la Concorde and the golden tipped obelisk will not glimmer. And for five minutes, the Eiffel Tower will go dark, to be relit at 9:00, but without the glittering white lights that have made so many tourists 'oooh' with ecstatic surprise.
On the same occasion, the associationPari Roller, which organizes weekly roller blading tours through nocturnal Paris, will host an exceptional tour in darkened Paris. One can perhaps question the common sense of such an outing, hundreds of roller bladers whipping through dark Parisian streets. But some people seem ready to risk a few scratches to save the planet. At 9:30, the survivors will return to Trocadero, marking the end of Earth Hour 2009.
WWF France also invites non-Parisians to film the moment the lights go out on their city's own monuments. With the help of French citizen journalists, the association will record France's desire to do something for the planet—something as simple as turning off the lights. By sending in a clip filmed from 8:29 to 8:31 p.m., you can contribute to the compilation video "Filmez Earth Hour" which will then be broadcast on YouTube and Dailymotion.
For more info: Visit www.earthhour.fr
