(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and a large group of its partners in the public and private sectors, including hotels and tourist establishments, will join the world in marking Earth Hour today.
All non-essential lights in these establishments will be switched off or dimmed for one hour, from 8.30pm to 9.30pm.
Hotel guests will also participate in this global campaign by turning off or dimming lights in their rooms or hotel apartments.
More than 7,000 cities across the world will turn off their non-essential lights this evening in observance of Earth Hour, the largest global environmental event aimed at raising awareness about the importance of protecting the planet and preserving it for the present and future generations.
Earth Hour is organised annually worldwide to raise awareness about the dangers of climate change as well as the need to ration electricity consumption and minimise carbon emissions to protect Earth.
The World Wide Fund for Nature launched this initiative, which drew international attention in a record time and soon turned from a local initiative to an extensive global campaign.
Earth Hour is one of the world's largest popular initiatives to protect the environment against climate change. It started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia, in 2007, and has since grown into an international movement in which 1.8bn people across the world participate.
Through its participation in this event, QTA says it "seeks to emphasise the importance of the Qatari tourism sector's commitment to preserving energy and the environment as well as raise public awareness about the importance of Earth Hour and the need to protect the environment".
QTA has called on everyone to take part in Earth Hour by shooting a 10-second video to document the moment lights are turned off or dimmed in different institutions and hotels in Qatar and sending it to its social media accounts.
QTA will also produce a short film on the activity to document the moment lights are switched off in tourist facilities participating in Earth Hour.
QTA is "committed to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation's Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, aimed at enhancing the work of the tourism sector and developing it into an effective supporter of national economy".
The code stresses the need for tourist establishments across the world to observe international environmental standards, especially that nature and the environment are key elements in hotel and tourism projects.
'Glow-in-the-dark-cycling' event at Aspire Zone
Aspire Zone will join the Earth Hour today from 8.30pm to 9.30pm by switching off all non-essential lights to save enough energy to power 230 homes. A "glow-in-the-dark-cycling" event, which is open to the public, will see participants receiving a "glow-in-the-dark" kit. Riders should meet at Cycle Hire HQ at 8pm to receive a "free hire bicycle" along with their own bike and night glow items, in what is described as a "unique, eco-friendly exercise-driven experience".
Aspire Zone has encouraged staff to use energy-saving LED bulbs, to refuse plastic bags and make the switch to re-usable bags and to turn off their computers before they leave the office.
Aspire Zone reviews lighting schedules regularly to reduce unnecessary energy use and has installed automated systems to reduce the amount of resources required to operate lighting, air conditions and irrigation
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