Final list of cities put Earth Hour 2008 on global stage

WWF-Australia is today announcing a final list of more than 370 local and international cities, councils and towns participating in Earth Hour 2008, firmly planting this year's largest climate change event on the global stage.

With cities in more than 35 countries taking part, WWF expects tens of millions of people across the world will add their voices to millions of Australians this Saturday 29 March, by switching off their lights for one hour at 8:00pm respectively, to make a stand in the fight against climate change.

"Earth Hour is about everyone and every organisation, from individuals to global companies, joining together to own a shared problem – climate change," said Andy Ridley, Earth Hour's Executive Director.

"Governments and businesses are joining individuals, religious groups, schools and communities in this terrific movement that's all about making a change for the better. It's staggering to see so much support from across the globe in just our second year and we're hoping that this will continue to grow year after year," he added.

In addition to the 26 official partner cities, some of the additional supporting cities include:

• Aegina, Greece
• Birmingham, United Kingdom
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Burlington, Canada
• Calgary, Canada
• Chandigarh, India
• Chisinau, Moldova
• Curitiba, Brazil
• Denver, United States
• Edmonton, Canada
• Galway, Ireland
• Geneva, Switzerland
• Gold Coast, Australia
• Halifax, Canada
• Honolulu, United States
• Jakarta, Indonesia
• Kuwait City, Kuwait
• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Lautoka City, Fiji
• London, United Kingdom
• Mexico City, Mexico
• Miami, United States
• Minneapolis, United States
• Montevideo, Uruguay
• Newcastle, Australia
• Northampton, United Kingdom
• Pasay City, Philippines
• Pecs, Hungary
• Santa Cruz, Bolivia
• Stratford, Canada
• Warsaw, Poland
• Wellington, New Zealand

Official cities include:

1. Aalborg, Denmark
2. Aarhus, Denmark
3. Adelaide, Australia
4. Atlanta, United States
5. Bangkok, Thailand
6. Brisbane, Australia
7. Canberra, Australia
8. Chicago, United States
9. Christchurch, New Zealand
10. Copenhagen, Denmark
11. Darwin, Australia
12. Dublin, Ireland
13. Manila, Philippines
14. Melbourne, Australia
15. Montreal , Canada
16. Odense, Denmark
17. Ottawa, Canada
18. Perth, Australia
19. Phoenix , United States
20. San Francisco, United States
21. Suva, Fiji
22. Sydney, Australia
23. Tasmania, Australia
24. Tel Aviv, Israel
25. Toronto, Canada
26. Vancouver, Canada

Official cities are registered as WWF flagship cities and have local government support to participate. Partnering cities are those that have organised participation via community channels and grassroot activity.

Earth Hour started in Sydney a year ago with support from local media, politicians, businesses and around 2.2 million Sydneysiders.

For more information on Earth Hour, and a complete list of cities, please visit www.earthhour.org/supporting-cities.