Toliara – Earth Hour in Madagascar was celebrated with one thousand wood-saving stoves given victims of the recent cyclone Haruna in the southern town of Toliara.

The initiative by WWF and the Association for the Development of Solar Energy (ADES) allows each family that receives a stove to cut their charcoal consumption in half while also protecting forest, reducing emissions and save themselves money.

“The daily use of these 1000 stoves will protect 175ha of forest and save 6,650 tons of wood per year. 4000 tons of Co2 emissions can be avoided and each beneficiary family will be able to spare some 1750m2 of forest every year,” said José Randrianirina Patrick, Director of ADES’ Centre in Toliara.

“In these difficult times when families rebuild their lives after cyclone “Haruna”, we hope that the contribution of these wood-saving stoves by WWF and ADES will assist them in rebuilding their lives,” says Richard Hughes, Regional Representative at WWF in Madagascar.

Deforestation is the main environmental threat and the demand for fuel wood and charcoal is leading to a rampant degradation of Madagascar’s unique natural forests. 80% of the population cook with charcoal or fire wood and 92% of the energy used in Madagascar every day is for cooking purpose.

8000 ha of forests for charcoal each year

Toliara is no exception: its annual charcoal consumption was estimated in 2012 to be 30 000 tonnes, which means 8000ha of forests, are being decimated every year.

“If efficient, wood-saving stoves are used by all 35,000 households in Toliara, we believe that coal consumption will decrease by 50% and the area of forest lost to the exploitation of charcoal too. During Earth Hour we hope to inspire people to adopt these stoves,” said Rina Andrianarivony, Fuel Wood Programme Officer at WWF.

10,000 trees to green schools in Antananarivo

In another Earth Hour event, WWF is collaborating with the school district of Antananarivo, to plant 10,000 trees around the capital.

“Through this action, we promote the idea that Earth Hour must go beyond the hour,” said Rachel Senn Harifetra, Head of WWF Madagascar’s Education Programme.. “Reforestation and maintenance of seedlings are among the actions that Malagasy youth should adopt at an early age.”

Since Earth Hour 2012, WWF has been assisting in training the school supervisors in planting techniques and the maintenance of plants.

Images © WWF-Madagascar

Remember in December we told you that Earth Hour’s I Will If You Will campaign helped change a law in Russia to better protect its country’s seas? Well, this year the WWF-Russia team is aiming to raise enough voices during Earth Hour to make amendments to the current forest legislation. If successful, it could lead to better protection for an area two times the size of France.

Read about how Russia is aiming to achieve another monumental environmental outcome and once again inspire the world in 2013 www.ehour.me/russiaforest

Image © WWF Russia / Alexander Vesyolov

In the East African nation of Uganda we’re starting the world’s first Earth Hour Forest!
Uganda loses more than 6,000 hectares of forest every month, with much of it much of it converted to wood fuel. This rapid deforestation rate is threatening to wipe out the entire green cover of the ‘Pearl of Africa’.

But our team in Uganda has secured more than 2,700 hectares of land, and set a goal to fill it with at least 500,000 indigenous trees as part of their Earth Hour 2013 campaign. Businesses, government officials and many individuals are quickly taking up the challenge set by WWF-Uganda to reach their 2013 goal.  Leading the way is Standard Chartered Bank - Uganda, which has already committed to plant close to 250,000 trees, and the Ugandan Minister of State for Environment who has personally pledged to plant 1,000 trees.

Stephen Fry gave his support for Pocoyo’s Earth Hour IWIYW challenge with this lovely tweet! Pocoyo will now plant an additional 10,000 trees if we get another 10,000 plays on his game.

So what are you waiting for? Play Pocoyo’s recycling game HERE

Earth Hour kids’ ambassador Pocoyo will plant 10,000 trees if 10,000 people play his recycling game - another great I Will If You Will Challenge we’re featuring before our official platform launch at YouTube.com/EarthHour

Play the game HERE 

© WWF Romania

The citizens of Romania have gone beyond the hour, with tens of thousands of people rallying behind a campaign by WWF to protect one of Europe’s largest and last remaining virgin forests.

A ministerial commitment was secured setting a course of action to protect Romania’s forests, which represent up to 65% of the virgin forests still remaining in Europe.

definitelydope:

colored valley (by takay)

(via carbon-cycles)

One million trees for Lumbini, birthplace of Lord Buddha

Read more here: http://www.wwfnepal.org/lumbini/