Earth Hour in Vientiane saves 110,000kw of electricity

(KPL) Vientiane residents saved 110,000 kw of electricity during the campaign of the Earth Hour, launched worldwide, including Vientiane Capital of Laos, last Saturday. From 19:00 to 20:00 hours on the day locally, lights were off for one hour, saving up 62 million kip. This figure was reported by Electricite du Laos. During the period, more than 4,000 cities and towns in 92 registered countries joined the campaign of the Earth Hour last Saturday. Deputy Prime Minister Asang Laoly and the Head of the Water Resource and Environment Administration Ms Khempheng Pholsena officially switched off the lights of the capital city at 7 pm sharp at the "Patouxay" Monument (Arc of Triumph). This ceremonial event was witnessed by 1,000 local people.

This event was initiated by the Lao station of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to raise awareness of climate change and to give people a voice in the future of the planet. Ms Khempheng said the Earth Hour was about households and businesses switching off their non-essential lights and other electrical appliances for one hour to highlight how the small actions of every person can make a collective difference.

She said climate change was not only a problem for international community, but presented particular challenges for a country like Laos. She also called for developed countries to assist those developing ones to gain access to clean technology for their increasing energy needs. This was the first time Laos participated in the Earth Hour campaign, since its debut in 2007. Ms Khempheng said she hoped it would encourage the public to understand the importance of saving energy, saving the environment and dealing with climate change. "If people could simply make energy saving a habit, it would make the task of making Laos a green and clean country easier," she added.