ICR-Malaysia is calling on corporate Malaysia to take a stand against climate change by showing support and participation in Earth Hour 2009. The move calls for organisations and the public to switch off their lights for one hour on Saturday, March 28 at 8.30pm.

This will be the first time Malaysia participates officially as a country in the global event. Corporate organisations already on board include PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Menara Kuala Lumpur, Media Prima Bhd, Astro All Asia Networks plc, Honda Malaysia, HSBC Amanah Bhd, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Sheraton Subang Hotel and Kuala Lumpur Pavilion Sdn Bhd.

The various organisations would be participating in their own way. PwC would be encouraging its employees to turn off all unnecessary electrical appliances across its offices in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

“(We are) encouraging all employees to participate by turning off lights at home during Earth Hour as well. We would be ensuring continuity by encouraging employees to conserve energy by turning off lights or electrical appliances when not needed on a daily basis,” Florence Tan, PwC corporate responsibility champion, said via email.

Media Prima and Radio Televisyen Malaysia would be airing Earth Hour commercials on their radio and television networks and 8TV would shut down its television transmission during Earth Hour, Harvinder S Randhawa, corporate relations executive of WWF-Malaysia, said in a phone interview last week.

Buildings open to the public such as the Mandarin Oriental, Sheraton Subang and Kuala Lumpur Pavilion would be switching off their lights outside the building, while Menara Kuala Lumpur has offered its venue for the upcoming event at the end of this month, Harvinder added.

Through the event, organisers would like to send a message to world leaders leading up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009, scheduled to take  place in Copenhagen in December, on the need for a commitment to short- and long-term actions that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Earth Hour began in Sydney two years ago and saw 2.2 million homes and businesses lending their support to the cause.

A year later, 377 cities in more than 35 countries participated in the event with global landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Coliseum, New York’s Times Square and the Jumeirah Hotel in Dubai switching off their lights for one hour.

This article appeared on the Management page, The Edge Financial Daily, March 6, 2009.