Earth Hour Award for Highland Council
Paul McMillian, WWF Scotland’s Earth Hour Organiser and the WWF Panda mascot are pictured handing over the award to Leader of The Highland Council, Cllr Drew Hendry watched by Badenoch & Strathspey based Countryside Ranger Liz Miller, and Keith Masson, Policy Coordinator – Climate Change.
Ahead of WWF's annual Earth Hour on Saturday 28 March 2015, The Highland Council is celebrating after being named as joint winner, along with South Ayrshire Council, of the WWF's Earth Hour Local Authority Champion for 2014. This prestigious award recognises both Councils’ efforts to support and promote Earth Hour 2014.
Some of the Highland's best known landmarks, including Inverness and Eilean Donan Castles, joined the likes of the Eiffel Tour and Sydney Opera House in switching off for an hour last March. Globally, a record 162 countries participated.
Convenor of The Highland Council, Councillor Jimmy Gray, congratulated staff and Highland residents for making the initiative so successful. He said: “Initiatives such as these are an important step in raising the overall awareness of the need to focus on reducing our carbon footprint. As such this is an excellent award for Highland, and recognises the effort residents have made in demonstrating their commitment to addressing climate change issues by taking part in this worthwhile initiative. We are already planning activities for this year’s Earth Hour event and will once again be switching off some of the most iconic landmarks in Highland as well as organising a series of fun events to raise awareness of important global issues.”
Councillor Drew Hendry, Leader of the Council accepted the award today (Monday 9 February) in Inverness from WWF Scotland. He said: “I’d like to thank WWF Scotland for this award. Here in Highland we have taken a common sense approach to addressing climate change through the Carbon CLEVER programme. We have set the region ambitious targets that will ensure we work to mitigate climate change through working with others to achieve shared goals. This will result in improved outcomes for communities and residents while supporting the transition to a low carbon region.
“Every year people celebrate Earth Hour in different ways, by switching off lights, attending organised events, holding Earth Hour parties or looking at ways that they can save energy all year round. This year, we'd like to see more people than ever before in Highland make their own champion effort to switch lights off for an hour between 8.30pm and 9.30pm on 28 March 2015. Anyone taking part just needs to register on the WWF Scotland website www.wwfscotland.org.uk/earthhour.”