MISSION, HISTORY & EARTH HOUR 2010

On Earth Hour hundreds of millions of people, organizations, corporations and governments around the world will come together to make a bold statement about their concern for climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. In the U.S. where we are already feeling the impacts of climate change, Earth Hour sends a clear message that Americans care about this issue and want to turn the lights out on dirty air, dangerous dependency on foreign oil and costly climate change impacts, and make the switch to cleaner air, a strong economic future and a more secure nation.

Participation is easy. By flipping off your lights on March 27th at 8:30 p.m. local time you will be making the switch to a cleaner, more secure nation and prosperous America. View the toolkits, to find out what else you can do to get involved including leading the Earth Hour movement in your community.

SET YOUR CLOCK
On Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 8:30 p.m. local time, Earth Hour will once again cascade around the globe, from New Zealand to Hawaii

SPARKING A MOVEMENT
Since its inception three years ago, Earth Hour’s non-partisan approach has captured the world’s imagination and became a global phenomenon. Nearly one billion people turned out for Earth Hour 2009 – involving 4,100 cities in 87 countries on seven continents.

Join the movement, here.

Last year, 80 million Americans and 318 U.S. cities officially voted for action with their light switch, joining iconic landmarks from around the world that went dark for Earth Hour, including:

Empire State Building
Brooklyn Bridge
Broadway Theater Marquees
Las Vegas Strip
United Nations Headquarters
Golden Gate Bridge
Seattle’s Space Needle
Church of Latter-Day Saints Temple
Gateway Arch in St. Louis
Great Pyramids of Giza
Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens
Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro
St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City
Big Ben and Houses of Parliament in London
Elysee Palace and Eiffel Tower in Paris
Beijing’s Birds Nest and Water Cube
Symphony of Lights in Hong Kong
Sydney’s Opera House

Learn More >>>



Act Now Archives

2010

“Shrink Your Footprint” Returns as Environmental Fair
Home owner & adult workshops 
Location: Auditorium
1:30 Reduce. Reduce. Reduce. Save Money. Be Green. 
2:35 Native Landscaping
3:40 Growing Vegetables (Advanced Course)

Vigil For Survival – New Bedford Joins the World in Lighting Candles of Hope
NEW BEDFORD - A grassroots candlelight vigil to encourage the City to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help combat climate change is scheduled for 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, in front of City Hall on William Street.


2009

Plan Ahead to Lessen Your Impact this Holiday Season
Here it comes—the hustle bustle of the holidays—when fun heartfelt times with family and friends is accompanied by unsustainable consumption and waste. Green up your holidays this year. We have browsed the web and collected the best info we could find to get you started on planning a low impact holiday season, early.

5th Annual Bioneers by the Bay: Connecting for Change
October 22-25, 2009 | Downtown New Bedford, MA
Bioneers by the Bay: Connecting for Change, the Marion Institute’s 5th annual conference will be held in historic Downtown New Bedford, MA, on October 22-25, 2009.

Bioneers 2009 Volunteer Opportunity
Dear Bioneers by the Bay volunteers,The 5th Annual Bioneers by the Bay: Connecting for Change Conference, October 22-25, in Downtown New Bedford is approaching and we need your help!

SEMAP – Support Your Local Farmers Market
Southeastern Massachusetts is home to over 30 farmers’ markets with many time slots to fit your schedule and a huge variety of fresh, local farm products. See below for a list of famers’ markets in your area. Specific directions, maps, opening and closing dates, and other info can be found at SEMAP’s searchable Online Farm Guide, at www.semaponline.org.

GARFIELD FOUNDATION - The New Bedford Fund
The New Bedford Fund (NB Fund) is a special grants portfolio under the umbrella of the Garfield Foundation’s Community Revitalization Program, representative of its interest in the revitalization of older industrial cities. The NB Fund seeks to accelerate economic health and prosperity in the City of New Bedford by supporting projects in the following sectors: sustainable economic development and green jobs development (projects related to youth development, urban agriculture, and housing will not be considered).

Offset Your Footprint & Support a Local Green
Project At the Same Time!
Landfill Methane Energy – New Bedford, Mass. This 3.3 megawatt New Bedford Landfill Methane renewable energy plant uses otherwise-wasted landfill gas to generate clean energy while preventing methane, a greenhouse gas that is more than 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, from venting into the atmosphere. This innovative plant generates approximately 26 million kWh of electricity a year for use by the region -- that is enough to power nearly 2,700 homes for a full year! Invest in a local green initiative by offsetting your carbon footprint.


2008

How Sustainable is Your Community?
Convince your town to become a member of ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability is an association of local governments that have made a commitment to sustainable development. Visit www.iclei.org >

Ask Obama to go to the U.N. Climate Meetings
Join 350.org to take action in your community, engage our world leaders, and build an international movement to solve the climate crisis. Why?  Click here to see why >

Nominations for Greater New Bedford’s Mother Earth and Father Ocean Sought for Earth Eve Celebration >

Visit the Clean Water Action’s Website for Current Massachusetts Action Items >

Support the Environmental Bond Bill >