Dubai Chamber inspires businesses to conserve energy during Earth Hour

For the fifth consecutive year, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry is encouraging the business community to participate in Earth Hour this Saturday, March 31 when more than a billion people and thousands of organisations in over 128 countries shut off their lights between 8.30pm and 9.30pm.

The global climate change initiative, spearheaded by World Wide Fund for Nature WWF, is supported by multinationals companies, private and public sectors and individuals in Dubai who are committed to reducing global warming and raise awareness about the importance of saving energy and protecting the planet. The initiative brings communities together to participate in environment-protection activities and to give something back to the community that they are part of.

On its part, Dubai Chamber is participating in Earth Hour by switching off air-conditioning and all non-essential lighting at its head office on Saturday, March 31 from 8.30 to 9.30pm. It is promoting Earth Hour activities which encourage staff to save energy and protect the environment each and every day while encouraging participation among the business community and others to benefit their organisations and the environment by saving energy.

Rami Halawani, Director, Marketing and Corporate Communication, Dubai Chamber, said: “Dubai Chamber’s support to the Earth Hour initiative comes in line with its corporate social responsibility and best business practices approach which will inspire the business community to contribute to the health of the society and also to protect the environment that they operate in. We are participating for the fifth year in a row due to the campaign’s importance in conserving energy while promoting sustainability and responsible business practices which make our communities a better place to live and work in.”

Halawani further stressed that Dubai Chamber registered substantial annual savings in energy and water conservation which helped the organisation reduce its carbon footprint immensely. Such measures allowed Dubai Chamber to reduce the energy consumption of its head office by 47% saving around AED 5.5 million at no additional expense over a decade, he said.

Earth Hour is a free initiative for businesses to join. All they need to do is to switch off their lights and air-conditioning from 8.30pm to 9.30pm on Saturday, March 31. By communicating Earth Hour and encouraging energy saving among staff, organisations can conserve energy throughout the year and reduce expenses too.