Al Qasba—the premiere tourist, cultural and entertainment destination in the emirate of Sharjah—will be turning off all of its non-essential power outlets and lights on March 27th at 8:30pm in honour of this year’s Earth Hour event, held annually on the last Saturday of March. The venue will be holding all of its regular activities with the special theme of starry skies and glowing candlelight, which will illuminate Al Qasba walkways and businesses during the occasion. It is the second time that Al Qasba has participated in the global campaign and will be marking its participation this year along with more than 3,900 cities around the world.

Earth Hour is organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as an opportunity to address issues of global climate change around the planet. According to Zainab Ahmed, Corporate Social Responsibilities Coordinator at Al Qasba, the venue’s involvement aims to increase the awareness among the public about the seriousness of global warming while highlighting opportunities to support energy conservation on the local level. Pamphlets of energy-saving tips and volunteer information will also be circulated during and after the event.

“The most serious challenges facing our world today stem from global climate change and our dependence on non-renewable energy sources,” comments Zainab Ahmed. “Our participation in Earth Hour will help us achieve our aims of conserving electricity and encouraging people around the world to start with simple yet effective actions in support of sustainable development.”

"In 2009, Al Qasba joined over one billion people from 87 countries around the world in turning off their lights for one hour. For this year’s Earth Hour event—held on March 27 at 8:30pm—we will once again endorse the initiative by calling on people of the UAE to take action and help preserve our planet through raising awareness of the effects of global climate change,” concludes Zainab Ahmed.