ABU DHABI: Some 66 hotels and hotel apartments across Abu Dhabi emirate reduced hotel carbon emission by 5,246 kilogramme during the March 27 Earth Hour global conservation exercise, Emirates news agency (WAM)
said.

These hotels and hotel apartments produced a combined energy saving of 8,601 kw/h, a significant 27% reduction in total energy consumption by switching off their lights.

Earth Hour is a global event organized by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature, also known as World Wildlife Fund) and is held on the last Saturday of March annually, asking households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights and other electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change. 

Earth Hour 2010 took place on March 27, 2010 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., at participants' respective local time. According to the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA)'s Director Tourism Standards Nasser Al Reyami, this exercise had great synergy with ADTA's Tourism Sector Environment, Health and Safety Management System (EHSMS), which aims to improve the environmental performance of hotels which laid down a 10 percent energy reduction target for 2010.

"Our hospitality stakeholders are to be congratulated on this significant achievement, as it has been achieved in just one hour. Now, we believe our annual targets are eminently achievable."

Abu Dhabi hotels promoted Earth Hour to their guests, encouraging them to take part, with many organising special candle-lit receptions for guests during Earth Hour.

The main energy saving initiatives were turning off exterior lights, neon signs and garden and landscape lighting, dimming restaurant lights and opting for candlelight settings, reducing lobby areas and office lighting, and switching off air conditioning in vacant rooms. -- Bernama
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