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The crowd joins in the countdown to Earth Hour at exactly 8.30pm on 28th of March 2009

ÎåÒ»³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø University goes dark after all lights were switched off

The crowd cheering for one of the bands which performed during the Earth Hour concert

Kuala Lumpur, 28 March 2009 - ÎåÒ»³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø University went dark at exactly 8.30pm to the applause and delight of more than 300 students and members of the community from nearby residences. Realising the need to educate youths about energy conservation and the need to recycle and reduce energy usage, ÎåÒ»³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø University embarked on a month-long campaign to not only urge people to switch off their lights on the 28th of March at 8.30pm, but to also practice good habits throughout the year such as switching off unnecessary lights and turning off the tap.Through the University¡¯s EduXplorer team, visits to schools around the Cheras area near the University¡¯s Kuala Lumpur campus were done prior to the event, to talk about the global event and encourage school students to participate. Educational quizzes were also given with some prize incentives. Invitations and educational posters were sent to more than 30 secondary schools around the Klang Valley to urge them to participate by switching off their lights during Earth Hour.

The University¡¯s Earth Hour event began at 6.30pm, with free dodge ball games, two hours before the shutting off of lights. Themed ¡°Dodge Global Warming¡±, students and members of the public pitched against each other as the sun began to set. Glow-in-the-dark bracelets were then used to navigate around the court as darkness descended. At 7.30pm, the concert for Earth Hour began with live band performances by ÎåÒ»³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø University¡¯s School of Music and Mass Communications students. As the clock approached 8.30pm, invited performers, the Sharin Band took the stage and drum-rolled through the countdown as ÎåÒ»³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø University switched off its lights. The crowd then sang along with the band which had started to play ¡°Imagine¡±, a classic tune by the Beatles.The climax of the night was when everyone rallied together to form a giant human ¡°60¡± at the University¡¯s entrance to show their unity and solidarity in the fight against global warming.

The Earth Hour event is in tandem with the University¡¯s greening policy initiatives that embeds  sustainable development methodologies into the curriculum. The University believes that through education, sustainable development can be achieved by getting today¡¯s youth to understand human actions on the planet and how they can practice sustainable development to save the planet.

The event has inspired University as well secondary school students to be more conscious of their day-to-day actions and how these effect the environment. ¡°The event was great, and it made me realize that Earth Hour is not just an annual event, but it¡¯s about habits we must cultivate everyday,¡± says Alastair, a Form 4 student from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sri Mutiara.More photos of the event can be found at .

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More photos of the event can be found at .