Bangkok Joins Earth Hour on March 30

BANGKOK, March 20 (TNA) -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is encouraging people to turn off unessential lights for an hour on the night of March 30 to join the global Earth Hour campaign. Bangkok deputy governor Chakkaphan Phiewngam said Bangkok’s Earth Hour was set at 8.30pm-9.30pm when the BMA would turn off lights at the Grand Palace, the Temple of Dawn, the Giant Swing, the Rama VIII Bridge and the Temple of the Golden Mount. For the campaign, the BMA will organize an exhibition and activities at the CentralWorld shopping center in the morning of March 30. In the afternoon officials will march on the nearby Skywalk to communicate the Earth Hour activity to passers-by and in the evening there will be relevant performances on stage. Mr Chakkaphan said Thailand would be among 188 countries to join the Earth Hour and Bangkok would be among 7,000 cities worldwide to do so in the event. In the activity last year Bangkok reduced electricity consumption by 2,002 megawatts, meaning a decrease in the emission of carbon dioxide by 1,026 tons, and the reduction saved a cost of 7.86 million baht in power generation, he said. The activity had continued since 2008 and Bangkok had saved 18.373 megawatts of electricity equivalent to 10,259 tons of carbon dioxide emission and the electricity cost of 64.78 million baht. Apart from turning off unessential lights, people were also encouraged to turn off air-conditioners and unplug unused electrical appliances during the Earth Hour, Mr Chakkaphan said. (TNA)