The city of Pontianak is again one of 37 cities in Indonesia participating in Earth Hour 2017. This year's global energy-saving campaign movement will be centered at Taman Alun Kapuas, Saturday (25/3/2017).

Globally, Earth Hour has entered its tenth year since it first started in 2007 in Sidney, Australia. This tenth year hopes to be a momentum for all parties to do ACTION for a better earth.

In Pontianak, a series of ACTIONS have been carried out before the peak celebration of Earth Hour. Starting from campaigns in schools, public places, planting tree and mangrove seedlings, distributing shopping bags, cleaning ditches, to visits to the media.

Earth Hour Pontianak City Coordinator Windy Chintia said the Earth Hour movement in Pontianak has entered its sixth year. The main focus of AKSI is on schools and waste issues. This is done to support the #PontianakBebasSampah 2020 efforts of the Pontianak City Government.

In addition, Windy said, Earth Hour Pontianak also carried out the #SejutaAksi reuseable bag movement. "This is the starting point of the campaign to reduce the use of plastic bags in the community as one of the solutions to reduce waste," she said in Pontianak, Friday (3/24/2017).
Windy further explained that Earth Hour Pontianak is part of the Earth Hour Global movement. In every campaign for climate change action, it always invites the public to implement a green lifestyle. For example, energy saving, plastic bag diet, paper saving, water saving, and buying products from sustainably managed resources.

"In everyday life, some of these things can practically and easily be done. For energy-saving issues, you can turn off lights that are not in use or unplug mobile phone chargers and other electronic equipment when not in use," Windy explained.

The Biology student from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences also invited residents to use shopping bags made of cloth, parachute or other materials to reduce the use of plastic bags. "Don't forget to always bring a drinking bottle so you don't buy bottled water made of plastic," she pleaded.

Another thing that does not escape the Earth Hour Pontianak movement is to invite citizens to choose products that are not packaged with other plastics. The public can be wiser in choosing products that are sourced from sustainable forest management. For example, cooking oil sourced from RSPO-certified sources or other products with the FSC logo.

"The most important thing to understand is that Earth Hour is a movement to invite people to behave in an energy-efficient manner. There is a symbolic one-hour blackout each year, not a power outage. It only extinguishes lights and other electronic equipment that are not in use. From the symbolization of energy saving through the Earth Hour celebration, it is hoped that this will continue to be a lifestyle for people in Pontianak. A better earth for a better life," Windy added.
Broad public support at the local level to implement this green lifestyle is expected to make a real contribution to reducing carbon emissions in suppressing the rate of climate change globally.

Kalimantan Regional Leader WWF-Indonesia M. Hermayani Putera welcomed the Earth Hour Pontianak movement this year. The active participation of the community in transforming consumption ethics and lifestyles that are more friendly and economical in using natural resources in order to strengthen aspects of sustainability and justice in the development process, is one of WWF-Indonesia's conservation targets that support emission reduction, in line with the essence of the Earth Hour movement.

"The commitment of the parties, in an effort to save energy, is a form of joint role and contribution to create better environmental conditions on earth. How this movement can become part of our daily activities continuously, I think that is the role we can play so that this movement becomes large and has a broad positive impact," said M. Hermayani Putera.

Support and participation from various parties every year is increasing to succeed the implementation of Earth Hour in Pontianak, including conveying the issue of energy saving to the public. The support comes from the Pontianak City Government, PLN West Kalimantan Region, Provincial PDAM, corporations, communities such as 1000 Kalbar Teachers, HGC Pontianak, Kapuas Smile Movement, Mapala UNTAN, SYLVA, HIMBIO, OIKOSNOMOS, LipArt, Abu Nawas, Coffternoon, Reza and Miranda, Telkomsel, XL, Bank Kalbar, Mercure Hotel, Aston Hotel, Mahkota Hotel, Transera Hotel, Garuda Indonesia, Ayani Mega Mall, PT. Kandelia Alam and SUN Tech Computer.

In addition to technical support from the Pontianak City Government, as a non-technical support an appeal letter was also issued in order to invite the people of Pontianak City to participate in turning off lights that are not used on Saturday, March 25, 2017 at 20.30 - 21.30 WIB.

Responding to a series of Pontianak Earth Hour AKSIs, Deputy Mayor of Pontianak City Edi Rusdi Kamtono said the government strongly supports this movement. "The energy-saving lifestyle is expected to continue to be carried out by the community. Including bringing shopping bags everywhere to reduce the use of plastic bags must continue to be encouraged," he pleaded.