Legarda: Take small steps for environment

MANILA — Hours before Filipinos take part in the annual Earth Hour from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., Senator Loren Legarda urged the public to do small acts which “can create big, significant changes” for the environment.

Legarda, chairperson of the Senate Committees on Climate Change, and Environment and Natural Resources, said people don’t realize that small acts ignite greater action and result in significant achievements.

“The Earth Hour campaign shows us what each citizen can do. It tells us that every individual is capable of protecting our planet. Small acts cannot be underestimated because these small acts, when put together, create big change,” she said in a press statement.

Legarda noted that the Philippines has been regarded as an Earth Hour Hero Country for registering a high number of participating towns and cities and for its staunch support to the campaign.

In 2009, 647 cities and towns in the Philippines and an estimated 15 million Filipinos participated in the Earth Hour, saving 611 megawatt-hours (MW) of electricity during the one-hour period.

In 2013, records from the Visayan Electric Company in Cebu alone showed a reduction of 11 MW during the time of the event.

Aside from participating in the Earth Hour, Legarda said the public should plant more trees, conserve water, and use low carbon technologies.

“The results of Earth Hour are clear enough to show what people can do when we work together,” the senator pointed out.

The World Wildlife Fund launched the international Earth Hour in 2008 with more than 400 cities in 35 countries who joined the campaign.

“Now, more than 7,000 cities are involved. We only have to take that one important step, which is to take action, to save and protect our planet,” said Legarda.