EARTH HOUR, SPIDER-MAN JOIN FORCES TO SAVE THE PLANET
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH, 2014: In a
first of its kind partnership, Spider-Man will be the first Super Hero
ambassador for Earth Hour, the global movement organized by WWF (World Wide
Fund for Nature), with a message to inspire individuals to use their power to
become Super Heroes for the planet.
Andy Ridley, CEO and Co-Founder of Earth
Hour, and Jeff Blake, Chairman, Worldwide Marketing and Distribution, Sony
Pictures Entertainment, made the announcement in conjunction with the launch of
Earth Hour Blue – a radical new digital crowdfunding and crowdsourcing platform
for the planet, launched to engage people around the world and participants in
the famous lights out event, which this year will be held on Saturday March 29, at 8:30pm.
This year, Earth Hour and the hero of the
highly anticipated motion picture The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – along with
the film’s stars, Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx and director Marc
Webb – are throwing their support behind Earth Hour Blue, which aims to harness
the power of the crowd to raise funds for on-the-ground environmental projects
from across the world.
“I’m proud Spider-Man is the first Super
Hero ambassador for Earth Hour because he shows we can all be Super Heroes when
we realize the power we all have,” says Andrew Garfield, who plays Spider-Man
in the upcoming film. “Earth Hour is a movement that has created massive impact
around the world, so imagine what we can do this year with Spider-Man by our
side.”
The crowdfunding section of the new
platform will allow participants to help deliver energy efficient stoves to
families in Madagascar, help communities in the Philippines build fiberglass
boats to withstand climate impacts like Typhoon Haiyan and raise funds to
expand and conserve the iconic Table Mountain National Park in South Africa,
with many more projects to come.
“Earth Hour gives you the power to inspire
anyone, even if you’re just one person, and Earth Hour is much more than an
hour. There are great projects from the crowd, for the planet, happening all
over the world,” said Emma Stone.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 director Marc Webb is the first celebrity ambassador
to announce the Earth Hour Blue project he is backing, which aims to provide
better equipment for WWF Rangers protecting Indonesia’s endangered wildlife such
as the Sumatran Tiger, Elephant, Rhino and Orangutan and their forest habitat.
“Earth Hour is a movement full of Super
Heroes – people harnessing the power of the crowd to inspire change for the
good of the planet, imagine the possibilities when we come together and do
more,” said Marc Webb.
Earth Hour has grown to involve hundreds of
millions of people from all walks of life across 7000 cities and towns and 154
countries and territories. Jamie Foxx who plays the villain Electro in the film
said, “Earth Hour isn’t just about lights off; it’s about people across the
world coming together throughout the year to join forces to improve the planet.
Never underestimate your power, never underestimate what you can do.”
Individuals can also use Earth Hour’s
crowdsourcing platform for Earth Hour Blue, which will call for people to add
their voice to some of the biggest environmental campaigns across the world;
including an Instagram campaign for people to share their love of Australia’s
Great Barrier Reef, as part of WWF-Australia’s “Lights Out For The Reef” theme
for Earth Hour 2014.
Global participants in the movement will
also be able to sign the Shark Saver’s “I’m FINished With FINS” pledge, which
engages celebrities and public figures throughout Asia to help end shark
finning in marine waters for the consumption of shark-fin soup.
“The idea of Earth Hour has grown beyond
anything we could have dreamed. This year with the help of Spider-Man by our
side, we are taking the movement to the next stage. We hope that Spider-Man
will empower individuals to be Super Heroes for the planet, and use their voice
or their dollar to support projects or campaigns around the world. It’s about
harnessing the power of the crowd. That’s what Earth Hour Blue is all about,”
said Ridley.
Sony Pictures Entertainment will join by
contributing to a WWF-China and Earth Hour Blue project that provides efficient
cookstoves to prevent deforestation in the habitat of the Giant Panda. Through
its efforts, the studio will receive Gold Standard carbon offsets that render
the entire physical production of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as well as
its publicity tour, carbon-neutral.
Expanding on many sustainability efforts
over the years, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 became the most eco-friendly
tentpole production in the history of Columbia Pictures. These environmental
efforts, on set and off, were supported at every level – from producers, studio
executives, and cast and crew and began as soon as the film went into
pre-production.
Spider-Man’s always been a very relatable Super Hero. Peter
Parker is a hero to all people, and an inspiration, so it seems very fitting
that he should join forces with Earth Hour to empower every single individual
to help save the planet,” Blake added. “I’m also very proud of the fact
that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is entirely carbon-neutral. We made
a commitment to be as eco-conscious as possible during production itself, when
we took a special effort to think green and avoid waste; now, completing that process
with Earth Hour Blue is a wonderful testament to what we can achieve when we
all work together.
Earth Hour and its Super Hero ambassador
Spider-Man remind us that “with great power comes great responsibility,” so get
involved and use your power at earthhour.org.
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