SUNWAY PYRAMID GOES GREEN IN LIGHT OF EARTH HOUR 2011 WITH WWF-MALAYSIA
Live Green: One Switch at a Time

The hour came for Sunway Pyramid to take lead and switch off all non-essential lights in support of Earth Hour. On March 26, millions of people across the globe switched off their lights from 8.30pm to 9.30pm, 26 March 2011, collectively taking a stand against climate change, demonstrating that every individual counts in changing the course of a warming planet. Earth Hour, started by WWF-Australia in 2007, has grown into the largest global movement for the environment led by the WWF network. This year, besides being its official venue sponsor, Sunway Pyramid partnered WWF-Malaysia in organizing this Earth Hour event.

“For Earth Hour 2011, WWF prepared to showcase a growing global community committed to taking environmental actions that go beyond the hour. From now until Earth Hour 2012, WWF-Malaysia is urging everyone across the nation to take Earth Hour beyond the hour by signing up at wwf.org.my and pledging to “Live Green: One Switch at a Time” towards more sustainable lifestyles. The more people make this pledge, the more powerful our efforts to protect our living planet become,” said WWF-Malaysia Executive Director/CEO Dato’ Dr Dionysius Sharma.

“As the popular saying goes - 'We did not inherit this Earth from our ancestors but we simply borrow it from our children',” said Sunway Pyramid CEO Mr. H.C. Chan. “In many ways, if concerted efforts and meaningful actions are not taken, the repercussion will be a heavy toll in years to come. Through initiatives like Earth Hour, we come to realize that personal action can be a powerful catalyst for change.”

“As an organization, Sunway Pyramid understands that it has a key role to play. Apart from providing a venue for initiatives such as these to take place, it must also incorporate sustainable practices such as installing waterless urinals, carpark guiding system, recycling centre and bring your own shopping bags. In another example, our property developer, Sunway City, which believes in developing energy and water efficient homes surrounded by lush greenery, adopted the ‘Lifestyles of Health & Sustainability’ (LOHAS) philosophy which incorporates 5 lifestyle pillars - health & fitness, personal development, the environment, sustainable living and social justice,” he added.

Earth Hour began with WWF Australia as a single-city initiative in 2007. It has since grown into a global movement where hundreds of millions of people from every continent join together to acknowledge the importance of protecting our planet – by switching off all non-essential lights for one hour. Sunway Pyramid caught the Earth Hour fever in 2009 and adopted the green mission by accentuating the meaningful hour with various activities to send the message home.

It was a full ‘green’ day at Sunway Pyramid leading up to Earth Hour. Outside the Orange Entrance, from 10am to 10pm, a WWF-Malaysia Bazaar added a splash of colour with 4 booths selling WWF T-shirts, reusable shopping bags, SMK Bandar Sunway’s handmade handicrafts and Sunway Pyramid’s newly launched Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) trolley bags. Also at the WWF-Malaysia Bazaar, the public were treated to sneak previews of “Dance in the Dark” for Earth Hour 2011.

Throughout the mall, huge pledge boards were located strategically at all shopping mall levels, urging shoppers to pledge to switch off all non-essential lights during Earth Hour and to take small actions towards a more sustainable lifestyle.

Before the Earth Hour was officiated by VIPs Mr. Chan, Mr. Kevin Tan, COO of Sunway Pyramid, Dato’ Dr. Dionysius and celebrities Soo Wincci, Rina Omar from 8TV Quickie, RED.fm deejays Rudy, Jeremy Teo, Mynn and Linora in the presence of the media and the public, everybody present observed a one-minute silence in memory of the recent tsunami-quake in Japan and the recent earthquake in Myanmar where many lives were lost and properties destroyed.

Following that, Mr. Chan, Mr. Kevin, Dato’ Dr Dionysius, Soo Wincci, Rudy, Jeremy, Mynn, Linora and Rina, together with the media and public then passed around candles and lit them up after they have received BYOB trolley bags as a token of appreciation. While the candle flames spread, members of the public joined the “Dance in the Dark” for Earth Hour 2011, led by dancers from WWF-Malaysia and SNGX dance group. 60 dancers had glow-in-the-dark paint while the other participants had glow-in-the-dark arm bands. The dance steps were uploaded on WWF-Malaysia’s facebook the week before to prepare the public for the event.

After that, a wayang kulit (or shadow puppet play) themed ‘Empty Earth’, performed by Tree Theatre Group took the stage. The Tree Theatre Group comprises parents and children who actively voice out environmental issues through creative expressions and have performed all over the world. The ‘Empty Earth’ featured UNEP Billion Tree Campaign song ‘Tears of Trees’ and ‘Heal Our World’, subtly reminding us of our responsibility towards our planet.

Riyal the beatboxer, then, took the stage and enlightened the crowd with a beatboxing gig, explaining to the crowd, in his very own way why beatboxing is green. Before long, the flash mob dancers were back with their reprise of the “Dance in the Dark” for Earth Hour 2011, choreographed to the song, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” which was appropriate for Sunway Pyramid’s famous iconic lion.

Finally, Yayasan Anak Warisan Alam (YAWA) wrapped up the Earth Hour show with methodical beats played from recycled items such as plastic bottles, pots, pans, basins and plastic bags. YAWA consists of talented musical percussionists ranging from 10 to 18 years.

The meaningful hour that passed us by has just demonstrated how possible it is for us to spend an hour having fun and saving electricity at the same time, helping to raise awareness about the importance of mitigating climate change. With this in mind, it is hoped that the participating crowd who have experienced this could carry on switching off all non-essential lights beyond Earth Hour.

Prior to Earth Hour, other environmentally-friendly highlights including a display of an Electrolux vacuum cleaner made of sea waste coming all the way from Sweden (16 – 20 Mar) and Malaysia’s first Eco-themed Home and Living Expo located at Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre (18 – 20 Mar), made their mark at the mall.

The BYOB Trolley Bag, featured during Earth Hour at the WWF Bazaar, was newly launched in conjunction with the recent Malaysia GP Sale. As the most recent addition to the BYOB merchandize series, this trolley bag not only reduces the use of plastic bags but also recommends shoppers to adopt and embrace this shopping method as the ideal, trendy and practical way to shop. They can also be purchased for RM30 when shoppers spend a minimum of RM50 in 2 accumulated receipts or less or purchased off-the-shelf for RM35 at the BYOB Redemption Counter (G Floor) during Malaysia GP Sale (after which is purchasable off-the-shelf at any concierges for RM39)

Other green initiatives by Sunway Pyramid besides Earth Hour and BYOB trolley bags include the ‘Go Green with Leo’ programme running from 29 March to 27 July 2011 where Sunway Pyramid mascot, Leo the Lion will visit five kindergartens to instill the value of green living by teaching children everyday green habits.

The Sunway Integrated Resort City (SIRC) is a testament to the entrenched values of the Sunway brand - excellence, innovation and integrity. Touted to be the most innovative and progressive development in Malaysia today, SIRC offers a multitude of services ranging from the best in education, hospitality, healthcare, entertainment, commercial spaces and exclusive resort-style homes. SIRC is a promise of unyielding quality and an investment for the future.
About WWF-Malaysia
WWF-Malaysia (World Wide Fund for Nature-Malaysia), the national conservation trust, currently runs more than 75 projects covering a diverse range of environmental protection work. Since 1972, WWF-Malaysia has worked on important conservation projects, from saving endangered species such as tigers and turtles, to protecting our highland forests, rivers and seas. We also undertake environmental education and advocacy work to achieve conservation goals. By conserving our natural resources, WWF-Malaysia is helping to protect our livelihoods, food and water supply, thus securing our good quality of life and our children’s bright future. We thank our supporters whose donations enable our conservation work. If you would like to donate to WWF-Malaysia or learn more about our projects, please call: +603-78033772 or visit our website at: wwf.org.my. WWF-Malaysia thanks Earth Hour official venue sponsor Sunway Pyramid and Shinjiru for developing the Earth Hour web pages.