HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC, FOREST CITY JOIN HONOLULU FOR EARTH HOUR

Support grows for Honolulu City Lights-Out event, this Saturday, March 29, from 8 to 9 pm  

Hawaiian Electric Co. and Forest City Enterprises, developer and manager of Navy and Marine housing in Hawaii, will join the City and County of Honolulu and Mayor Mufi Hannemann tomorrow for Earth Hour—a global initiative to protect the climate.

Hawaiian Electric president and CEO Mike May urged all company employees to participate by turning off nonessential lighting and electronics at home on Saturday night for Earth Hour, from 8 to 9 p.m.

Forest City encouraged residents to “unplug” for an hour: spend time with family, enjoy our island community, and give the television or computer a much-needed break.

Actus Lend Lease, developer and manager of Air Force and Army housing in Hawaii, announced its support for Earth Hour earlier this week.

Earth Hour was first launched on March 31, 2007 in Sydney, Australia, where 2 million Sydney businesses and households turned off their lights for one hour in a symbolic gesture to raise awareness about global warming.

“This year, Honolulu joins 371 other cities across the planet actively participating in Earth Hour,” said Mayor Hannemann. “We are calling our event Honolulu City Lights-Out.”

Hawaiian Electric will monitor Oahu’s power system to measure the impact on electrical demand.

For more information on Earth Hour and to sign up as a participant, please visit www.earthhour.org.

Mayor Hannemann and the City joined The Honolulu Advertiser and ClearChannel Broadcasting for a one-week media campaign to generate public participation in EarthHour.

In a recent letter, World Wildlife Federation President and CEO Carter S. Roberts praised the Mayor’s involvement. “Thanks for not only your attention to the critical issue of climate change, but also your willingness to engage your fellow citizens,” Roberts wrote. 

Contact: Department of Information Technology senior advisor Keith Rollman, 768-7658