Ian Macnicol / WWF Scotland

Transcription

1 TOOLKIT 2015

2 COMMONWEALTH GAMES CYCLIST CALLUM SKINNER SUPPORTING THE LAUNCH OF EARTH HOUR 2014 IN THE SIR CHRIS HOY VELODROME, ONE OF SEVERAL GAMES VENUES THAT SWITCHED OFF FOR EARTH HOUR. Ian Macnicol / WWF Scotland

3 WWF S EARTH HOUR IS AN EXTRAORDINARY EVENT THAT FOCUSES THE WORLD S ATTENTION ON OUR AMAZING PLANET, AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO PROTECT IT At 8.30pm on 28 March, hundreds of millions of people will turn off their lights for one hour, on the same night, all across the world in a huge, show of support for action on climate change and for a more sustainable future. It s always a memorable and spectacular event with cities, communities and landmarks across the globe going dark for the hour. But Earth Hour is more than just one hour of darkness, it s our chance to be the difference that we need to protect our planet today and every day. It has engaged individuals, organisations and businesses all over the world in action on climate change. Across the UK, 85% of adults surveyed that participated in Earth Hour 1 said that Earth Hour inspired them to do more to protect the planet. By signing up you send a message that your authority supports action on climate change and wants to protect our planet and the people and wildlife that depend on it for food, water, fuel even the air that we breathe. Be part of Earth Hour, to make sure that climate and planet friendly decisions are made at the highest levels. It s never been more vital to make our voices heard. Switch off your lights at 8.30pm on Saturday 28 March and help us spread the word. Get involved at : #earthhouruk We d like to work with your local authority to help you make Earth Hour 2015 a huge success in your area. Turning out the lights is just the beginning... Maverick Agency Youngsters prepare for the switch off at Edinburgh Castle 1. NfP Synergy 3

4 LOCAL AUTHORITIES: WE COULDN T DO IT WITHOUT YOU The Sustainable Scotland Network is a strong supporter of WWF s Earth Hour, and is proud that every local authority in Scotland has taken part in previous years. We hope that all our members - not just local authorities, but the whole of the Scottish public sector - will be part of the switch-off in 2015, raising awareness of the need to act on climate change, and demonstrating our commitment to reducing Scotland s greenhouse gas emissions. Rebecca Bell Chair of Sustainable Scotland Network In 2014, 162 countries and territories and 7000 towns and cities took part in the biggest global call to action for the protection of the planet Scotland s local authorities have always played a major role in the success of Earth Hour in Scotland. We were the first country in the world to have 100 per cent support for Earth Hour from our local authorities; switching off iconic landmarks, engaging the public and generating not only huge media interest but also global recognition. Every year we continue to build on this incredible support with the many events, activities and initiatives that Scottish local authorities lead on. Local authorities have a vital leadership role to play in reducing carbon emissions and engaging with local communities. Turning off the lights for an hour won t solve climate change, but it will highlight your authority s commitment to take a lead and to be part of an international movement that demonstrates to national leaders that the world wants them to take action. With ever-tougher budget constraints, WWF s Earth Hour offers opportunities to meet commitments made by your authority by signing the Scottish Climate Change Declaration and by being responsible for reducing emissions under the Scottish Climate Change Act. WWF s Earth Hour, now the most recognised campaign in Scotland, is an ideal opportunity to show how your climate change targets matter at the local level, and how they feed intonational and international efforts to reduce carbon emissions and increase sustainability. WWF s Earth Hour can be the highlight of your own campaign to raise awareness to local people about what you are doing to reduce emissions. WWF s Earth Hour is an opportunity to work with partners to show how you are leading on cutting emissions and highlighting what other organisations and businesses can do. WWF s Earth Hour is a highly visual event. The higher the number of buildings that switch off their lights, the bigger the impact. Film and images of activities in your area on the night can demonstrate that your authority is being a leader on tackling sustainability issues. WWF s Earth Hour is highly media-friendly. The event can generate hundreds of media hits in Scotland at national and local level - so an event or photo-shoot in your local authority area can be used to raise awareness in the press about your commitment to climate change. We can provide template press releases to help you. 4

5 WHAT CAN LOCAL AUTHORITIES DO FOR EARTH HOUR 2015? 100% of local authorities have supported Earth Hour in Scotland. This year we want to continue to continue to build on this fantastic support to make Earth Hour even more successful. To demonstrate your support this year, simply take some or all of the actions below and WWF Scotland will recognise the invaluable support you provide. Help us to continue to be world-leading. The Earth Hour 2015 Local Authority Challenge If you as a local authority do the following three things and let us know by completing the reporting form we send you, we ll promote your support in our publicity: EARTH HOUR 2015 JOIN US AT wwfscotland.org.uk/earthhour WWF S EARTH HOUR WE RE A SUPER LOCAL AUTHORITY WWF S GLOBAL EVENT Switch Off: turn off the lights in your town hall, headquarters and other landmarks in your control for one hour on 28 March 2015 at 8.30pm (if you don t have any lights you can turn off, do one of the other actions instead). Take Part: promote WWF s Earth Hour to staff through s and intranet, encouraging them to sign up as individuals and take part in the event on a personal basis. Engage: Make use of your website, newsletters, twitter and facebook to encourage members of the public to sign up, demonstrating the support for action on climate change in your area South Ayrshire Council If your local authority does an additional three activities from the list below we ll award you with a WWF Scotland Super Local Authority Badge, which you can use on your website or on promotional materials Could your local authority be the Local Authority Earth Hour Champion of the Year? This award recognises the local authority and two runners up that do the most to support Earth Hour. The three winners for 2014 will receive their awards in January to kick off our Earth Hour 2015 campaign. South Ayrshire Council being named Local Authority Champion 2013 Involve your community Work with your Community Planning Partnership to endorse Earth Hour and get each partner to sign up. Organise your own Earth Hour event such as a public countdown to the big switch off, a community ceilidh by candlelight or even a star watching event. Visit our website for more ideas. Talk to local businesses and organisations to get the lights switched off on iconic or important buildings or structures in your local area. They might also be willing to promote the event to their staff and some, such as pubs, restaurants or hotels, might be interested in organising their own event. Encourage local residents, schools and community groups to get involved you may be able to build on existing links and make WWF s Earth Hour part of your ongoing work on climate change. 5

6 South Lanarkshire Council Glasgow City Council South Lanarkshire school kids with their 2013 Runner Up award Promote the event Promote your involvement in the event to partners, suppliers and other organisations with whom you have links and encourage them to take part. Get in touch with local media to tell them about your involvement in WWF s Earth Hour. You can use this opportunity to showcase some of the other work the council is doing in relation to climate change, renewable energy or other sustainability issues. Local press might also be interested in a photo shoot involving senior council staff or dignitaries or with a local group or school that has got involved. Raise awareness Use WWF s Earth Hour as a chance to raise awareness across council departments of your action on reducing emissions. This could support any work you are doing with staff within the workplace as part of a wider, longer-term strategy to reduce carbon emissions from the authority s own building and estate. Panda meets Glasgow school s poster competition winner Marta Franco/ WWF Scotland Kelvingrove is just one of the many iconic Scottish buildings that participates in Earth Hour each year. 6

7 IDEAS FOR EARTH HOUR 2015 Taking part in WWF s Earth Hour is a great way to show your commitment to protecting our precious environment. Support for Earth Hour right across Scotland in previous years has been extraordinary, and I hope we can build on that. I am delighted that the Scottish Government will continue to play a leading role again this year. We hope that local authorities and public bodies across Scotland will once again also play their part in this global initiative and help demonstrate Scotland s lead in tackling climate change. Mary McAllan, Director for Energy and Climate Change, Scottish Government. South Ayrshire Council South Lanarkshire Council Playing night golf in South Ayrshire South Lanarkshire school kids receiving the Earth Hour Runner Up award and helping to promote the Council s new electric car scheme. Just some of the many amazing local authority activities that took place all across the country in 2014: South Ayrshire (Earth Hour Local Authority Champion 2013) South Ayrshire Council ran a exciting Earth Hour campaign, switching off famous landmarks, running various events on the night including a ghost walk and a night cycle, and setting up a dedicated website West Dunbartonshire (Earth Hour Local Authority Runner-up 2013) West Dunbartonshire focussed on promoting Earth Hour to as many people as possible. They gave school children leaflets to give to five people to encourage sign up and linked Earth Hour with their Carbon Cutting campaign, giving info to staff on carbon reduction measures. Highland Highland Council ran four events across the region: a night sky event in Skye, a ghost walk in Grantown-on-Spey, a torchlit walk in Inverness and an art in the dark event in Glen Nevis. They also used social media and their Carbon Clever network to promote Earth Hour in advance. South Lanarkshire (Earth Hour Local Authority Runner-up 2013) Two of the innovative activities South Lanarkshire Council did for Earth Hour 2014 were to run a shop front display on Earth Hour during March and also to use it to promote their new electric car scheme. 7

8 SUPPORT AND RESOURCES For up to date information and access to resources, visit wwfscotland.org.uk/earthhour On these pages you will find: Links to the online sign-up page Links to useful resources Updates on what s happening in Scotland Colin Hattersley/WWF Scotland Maverick Agency Scottish Government Ministers Richard Lochhead and Paul Wheelhouse show their support for Earth Hour As WWF s Earth Hour approaches we ll also provide you with a form to report your activities on, newsletter and facebook text as well as tweets for you to use in your promotion work. Make sure you check out our own social media activity on #earthhouruk, #earthhour or on Facebook at We d like to work with your local authority to help you make Earth Hour 2015 a huge success in your area. Please contact us to find out more. Contact: Kirstie Shirra WWF Scotland s Earth Hour Co-ordinator kshirra@yahoo.co.uk Tel

9 Maverick Agency

10 r Earth Hour in numbers 100% Earth Hour activities and events in every Scottish Local Authority area 986 schools in Scotland participated last year Why we are here To stop the degradation of the planet s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony 5 political and party nature. leaders Why we are here To stop the degradation of the planet s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. wwfscotland.org.uk 100+ iconic buildings switched off in Scotland ALL supported Earth Hour 2014 WWF-UK, registered charity number and registered in Scotland number SC A company limited by guarantee number panda symbol and WWF Registered trademark of WWF-World Wide Fund for Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund), WWF Scotland, The Tun, 4 Jackson s Entry, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8PJ. T: E: scotland@wwf.org.uk Design: Claire MacDonald WWF - SCOTTISH LOCAL AUTHORITIES TOOLKIT WWFSCOTLAND.ORG.UK