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ITWeb sets Earth Hour challenge


Johannesburg, 29 Mar 2012

ITWeb has come out in support of this year's Earth Hour with a pledge to plant one tree for every 10 readers who commit to taking part in the global initiative.

Now in its fifth year, Earth Hour sees homes and businesses around the world switch off non-essential lighting between 8:30pm and 9:30pm on 31 March, to raise awareness around climate change and the environment.

The campaign also encourages people to extend their involvement beyond the hour, and engage in ongoing activities that will have a positive impact on the planet.

Adding its own twist to the 'I Will If You Will' campaign, ITWeb will plant one tree for every 10 readers who pledge to support Earth Hour, whether it's simply switching off their lights on Saturday or committing to something more permanent, like starting to recycle.

ITWeb editorial director Ranka Jovanovic says the aim was to leverage the company's areas of influence and get involved with an action that would live beyond the hour. “ITWeb operates in two industry sectors, media and ICT, both of which can play a powerful role in the green sphere: media, by explaining the environmental issues and how people and companies can make a positive impact; and ICT, by developing, promoting and using clean, energy-saving technologies.”

The trees will be planted through local green search engine GreenSrch.com and related ad network Ads4Trees, and will be located at a reforestation project at Walkhaven Dog Park on the outskirts of Johannesburg.

“We chose to plant trees because we wanted our Earth Hour initiative to leave a lasting outcome,” adds Jovanovic. “It's the little acts of kindness to the planet that count. We hope the stories we write will have created a shift in at least some people's relationship with their environment.”

Earth Hour was first held in Sydney in 2007, and has since grown to become the world's largest public environmental action. It is now celebrated in 5 251 cities and towns in 135 countries, across seven continents, involving some 1.8 billion people. Apart from homes and businesses, it sees the dimming of iconic landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, Buckingham Palace, Golden Gate Bridge and Table Mountain.

This year, Earth Hour is running an I Will If You Will campaign that sees celebrities and individuals pledge to perform a daring act if a set number of people publicly commit to doing something positive for the environment.

It is being promoted through various social media channels including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube

ITWeb has also invited other local companies to match its pledge, in order to extend the positive impact. Businesses that would like to match or contribute their own tree-planting pledge can contact lezette@itweb.co.za.

To submit an Earth Hour pledge and boost ITWeb's tree count, follow this link and describe your commitment in the comment box.

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ITWeb

ITWeb is South Africa's leading technology-focused publisher, with media products and services that span online, print and events.

ITWeb's online platforms reach more than 200 000 unique readers a month and service a large client base through its Virtual Press Office offering.

ITWeb's print titles include Brainstorm, iWeek and a series of ITWeb Informatica reference books.

Its events, such as the BI Summit and the IT Security Summit, provide a networking and knowledge exchange platform, addressing prevailing business technology trends and issues.

ITWeb also owns a number of related online businesses - an online recruitment service, CareerWeb; a social media platform, MyDigitalLife; as well as other industry portals such as defenceWeb and iFashion.

www.itweb.co.za / itweb.mobi

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