ILOILO CITY, Philippines—Boracay’s efforts to preserve its fragile ecology will highlight the annual commemoration of Earth Hour in the popular island-resort.
The Earth Day Hour, which started in 2007, is a global movement to raise awareness on the threats of climate change and the need to protect the environment.
Environment advocates voluntarily switch off lights and electric appliances for an hour every last Saturday of March each year. Last year, 128 countries and territories joined the global action.
This year, the Earth Day Hour is set on March 26.
In Boracay, Earth Day festivities will be organized by the local government of Malay, Miss Earth Foundation and Earth Hour organizers, according to a statement by event organizer Unlimited Events Inc.
Malay town Mayor John Yap said the event would help the municipality’s campaign to clean up Boracay and raise environmental awareness among the island’s visitors.
The Earth Hour commemoration in Boracay will be marked with a summer party and a fashion show.
Dubbed “Boracay: Earth, Wind and Wild,” the festivities will feature a live party patch between the island and Manila after the Earth Day count down.
The observation of Earth Hour comes amid controversy over a reclamation project that its proponents said would bring in more businesses and tourists to the already crowded island.
The absence of a sewerage system in the past has brought down tourism in Boracay in the past after its waters tested positive for coliform, which is commonly found in human wastes.