Swapping power for change

Posted on Mar 24, 2017

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It will be lights out for Sandton Central, Joburg’s premier business, shopping and tourism centre this weekend when many of its buildings will power-down for an hour on Saturday (25 March) to help address climate change.

Earth Hour, a global WWF climate change initiative which calls upon individuals, businesses, governments and communities to switch off their lights for one hour on the last Saturday in March, where we will see the lights go out across the Sandton Central business district from 8:30pm to 9:30pm local time.

A symbolic gesture of unity to reflect on our impact on the planet, Earth Hour is a global citizen movement of positive change for the environment. It has been welcomed by the Sandton Central Management District, which is thrilled to be home to many participating businesses and individuals.

Sandton Central-based participants include two of South Africa’s most prestigious shopping centres as well as several leading banks and corporates, joining more than a billion people across 178 countries in the fight to protect our environment.

“Both Sandton City and Nelson Mandela Square will show their commitment by switching off lights at the restaurants on the square. The Sandton City Dome (Protea Court) will be illuminated in green leading up to Earth Hour in a bid to raise awareness of the initiative,” says Elaine Jack, CID manager for Sandton Central Management District.

Nelson Mandela Square and Sandton City will be joined by a number of businesses in the district, with the likes of RMB, Deutsche Securities, Discovery, SAB Miller, Webber Wentzel and Nedbank also taking part in Earth Hour 2017.

With its participation in Earth Hour, Sandton Central joins the City of Joburg, which has put its weight behind the campaign and challenged its property owners to switch off their lights for the hour. The metro will switch off its own iconic buildings across the city as well as its head-office, and is working closely with WWF and the GBCSA for this initiative.

“At Sandton Central, we are thrilled to be able to say that we are making a meaningful contribution to the cause, and we’d like to encourage all South Africans to pledge their commitment on the Earth Hour website and to switch off their lights for just that one hour on the 25th of March,” says Jack.

“This is a great opportunity for the community of Sandton Central, and the entire city, to show its commitment to containing our impact on the planet. Sandton Central is the epicentre of green building in South Africa, and a hotbed of energy-efficiency innovations. I am confident that we can do even more to conserve our environment in the future,” concludes Jack.