EARTH HOUR 2010!!!

60 Minutes. This Saturday, 27 March, 8.30pm - 9.30pm.

What will YOU be doing???

I'm asking this question because it's a choice, it's totally within your power to use those 60 minutes as you wish. And sometimes, little actions can mean so much.

Well, Earth Hour 2010 is back for the second year running, and this year, it's grown. More individuals & businesses have jumped on the bandwagon, and the level of awareness and consciousness has risen too. But really, knowing is one thing. Are we taking action?

I had a very honest chat with Amy Ho (Managing Director, WWF Singapore), Nadya Hutagalung (Earth Hour Ambassador), and Allan Lim (CEO, Alpha Biofuels) today in The Living Room. We discussed the Green movement in Singapore, the apathy of Singaporeans, the slow take-up of Green businesses here, and what Earth Hour really stands for.

Straight "Green" talk with Allan, Nadya & Amy in The Living Room.

"It's really much more than saving electricity for an hour," says Amy Ho, MD of WWF Singapore. "It's symbolic. A reminder. And it really should be something we do everyday."

Nadya echoed that. In fact, she reiterated it a couple of times throughout our conversation. Battling climate change in simple, everyday ways is a cause close to the heart of this ex-MTV VJ, and mother of 3. Because she couldn't find enough information to live out her eco-sustainable lifestyle, she founded GreenKampong.com.

"It's entry level for those who want to live a more eco-sustainable lifestyle," Nadya explains. Here's Nadya sharing why she started GreenKampong.com, and what it's all about.

Allan, who is part of a 3-man team that helms Alpha Biofuels, shared about doing Green business in Singapore. He tells us that while there is support from the government, it's still a slow uptake because for Singaporean businessmen, it's always about dollars & cents, the bottomline, and sometimes sustainable products don't have that competitive edge in terms of cost.

"But in the long run, sustainable businesses make sense, they save you money," he explains, almost exasperated that people fail to understand this. The ladies nod in agreement (which you can't "see" on-air!).

Allan's business recycles waste oil into Biodiesel, which is sustainable & renewable. In fact, his passion won him the Spirit of Enterprise Award in 2005. He's a down-to-earth, practical, but passionate business man, and his perspective was very much-welcomed.

Ambassadors for Earth Hour 2010... they've made me one too!

So the question remains. On Sat 27 March, 8.30pm - 9.30pm, what will YOU be doing??? Will you participate in Earth Hour and switch off all your lights for 60 minutes? Or will you just let these precious minutes pass you by for yet another year without making a stand?

Imagine what you can teach your children if they asked you, "Mum/Dad, why are we switching off all the lights and using candles?" Imagine what you can share with your neighbours, your colleagues & friends about climate change, if you decide to do this.

And you CAN pledge your support online. Just click here and make that pledge. Do it with your children, why not? *grin* Earth Hour 2010 is powerful simply because it's doable, it's a choice we can all make.

I know I'm sounding like a politician or evangelist, but I do feel passionately about what WWF Singapore is initiating & spearheading. So please, come join me!

Earth Hour 2010 Concert & Carnival

Sat 27 March

6.15pm onwards

(Concert begins at 7pm)

Esplanade

For more info, click here.