This was announced at a press conference held in the city, partnered by the ITC Sonar, the hospitality partner for Kolkata and Dabur India. 

 

June spoke about her association with the cause and invited citizens of the city to come forward and show their support for the campaign. 

 

Earth Hour is the largest environmental campaign in history and enables individuals, organizations, governments and groups to show support for policies and practice that balance development and environmental concerns. Earth Hour 2015 will be kicked off with Pedal for the Planet, a cyclothon scheduled to be held in New Delhi on 21 March 2015

 

Through “India Unplugged”, Earth Hour 2015, not only calls out to people to switch off, but also encourages citizens across the country to explore and adopt a cleaner and more sustainable lifestyle by embracing renewable energy solutions. Seven years in the running, the Earth Hour 2015 campaign calls for:

• Individuals to adopt household products powered by renewable energy;

• Corporates to adopt renewable energy solutions to run their business operations and production processes;

• Governments to promote policies favourable to the production and uptake of renewable energy  

 

Reinforcing her support to this cause, June, speaking to the media said, “Today millions of people all over the world are associated with and support Earth Hour. This campaign by WWF has spread awareness about climate change through the masses and has encouraged us to fight against its adverse effects. It gives me great satisfaction to be a part of this cause and to pledge to lead an environment-friendly lifestyle.”

 

Speaking about the campaign, Ravi Singh, Secretary General & CEO, WWF-India said, "Earth Hour brings together people across the globe to express their concern over the global crisis of climate change. In India, the campaign spans more than 150 cities, providing a platform to create awareness on renewable energy amongst individuals, corporate entities and decision-makers, while influencing behavior, opinions and policy to help mitigate the effects of climate change. The campaign’s messaging and open-source model encourages participation in a symbolic switch off and leads people to adopt sustainable practices in order to conserve the finite resources of our planet. This year, Earth Hour hopes to reach out to a much larger number of people than before to promote the benefits of renewable energy."

 

The ITC Sonar, the hospitality partner for Earth Hour in Kolkata for the last three years, is the first hotel in the world registered by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change for Carbon Emission Reduction. 

 

It is also a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certified building by United States Green Building Council (USGBC). 

 

Speaking on the occasion, Atul Bhalla, General Manager, ITC Sonar said, “The ITC Sonar has been an ardent supporter of the Earth Hour campaign over the last few years and it is our pleasure to associate with the campaign this year too. Supporting various green initiatives and making it a part of our regular hotel operations at the ITC Group of Hotels is just a reaffirmation that we care for our environment and are taking proactive measures to ensure that we leave behind a greener planet for future generations.”