This year, Earth Hour – the world-famous annual “Lights Out” event that sees skylines and landmarks around the world grow dark – will be held on 29 March 2014 at 8:30pm. Here in Hong Kong, the event will be supported by a host of A-list celebrities including Eason Chan, Kay Tse, Leo Ku and Miriam Yeung. Earth Hour 2014 will also see a special guest: comic icon Spiderman will be the first superhero ever to be an Earth Hour ambassador!

According to WWF’s Hong Kong Ecological Footprint Report 2013, if everyone in the world lived a similar lifestyle to Hong Kong people, we would need 2.6 Earths to fulfill all our resource needs. In short, we are consuming too much of the Earth’s resources and this needs to change. This year, the Earth Hour “I GIVE UP” theme is designed to prompt people to start asking one question: What can we give up today to make tomorrow better?

Celebrities Eason Chan, Kay Tse, Miriam Yeung and Leo Ku are fully behind the 2014 Earth Hour campaign and feature prominently in the promotional video, urging everyone to pledge to keep our consumption down to one planet’s worth on the Earth Hour website (earthhour.hk). These Earth Hour ambassadors also have plenty of tips to share on how we can all bring our consumption down to sustainable levels.

In terms of clothing – In general, Hong Kong is a fashionable city and “more is better” as far as clothes are concerned. Eason, Kay, Leo and Miriam feel differently though: they feel that returning or donating sponsored clothes after they’ve been worn for a shoot or an event is the way to go.

In terms of eating – Kay, has been a vegetarian for some time and encourages everyone to consume sustainable seafood whenever possible. Weddings which feature shark fin on the menu are a big “No” for Miriam – especially at her own wedding! Leo says that he’s definitely going shark-free when he decides to tie the knot.

In terms of living – Leo’s environmentally friendly habit of not turning on the air conditioning all year long is shared by Miriam’s “eco-friendly husband” Real Ting, who always sleeps without lights and air-con and runs their household in a frugal style. Eason, on the other hand, is very attached to his home furniture and sees no benefit in changing that furniture unnecessarily; he has been sleeping on the same bed for over 10 years! Kay suggests using recyclable utensils for house parties, instead of paper cups and plates!

In terms of travelling – Miriam, as a switched-on mother, is especially conscious of the fact that the consequences of over-exploitation of resources by this generation will be the next generation’s nightmare to bear. To raise her son’s awareness about the need to protect the Earth, she often brings him to the countryside or to her father’s organic farm. Meanwhile, Kay has a sweet yet eco-friendly idea for friends and loved ones: a bike ride along one of Hong Kong’s waterfront parks. “This allows couples to see each other’s eco-friendly side” she said. Eason reduces his carbon footprint by taking public transport when he commutes short distances, instead of taking private vehicles, he finds this more convenient too!

Photo & Text: WWF