Flick the switch
Watch our video to see Coca‑Cola's involvement in Earth Hour 2011
On Saturday 26th March 2011, iconic landmarks across the world were plunged into darkness in honour of Earth Hour. The global event, organised by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), saw people across over 130 countries unite against climate change and switch off their lights for one symbolic hour.
Once again, Coca‑Cola showed support for the cause by turning off our iconic neon advert in London’s Piccadilly Circus. For the two weeks leading up to the event, the screen displayed messages inspiring others to get involved and sign up for Earth Hour too. As an official partner of The Football League, we also promoted the global switch-off in all Football League match programmes on the day of Earth Hour.
Did you know? Earth Hour 2011 marks the fifth time Coca‑Cola has switched off its screen in Piccadilly Circus
During the 60 minutes of Earth Hour darkness, Coca‑Cola also took part in a cycle challenge at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Liz Nieboer, our Senior Strategic Communications Manager, joined a pedalling team of celebrities and WWF representatives to generate enough energy to light up a projection on the building’s exterior.
Electrifying facts and stats:
Earth Hour grows year on year. The 2011 switch-off was a record-breaking event involving:
- 134 countries and territories
- Over 4000 cities
- 4 of the world’s 5 tallest buildings
CEO of the World Wildlife Fund, David Nussbaum, commented: "Businesses, governments and charities all need to work together to tackle climate change and Coca‑Cola's support for Earth Hour is very welcome."
According to Jon Woods, Country Manager for Coca‑Cola Great Britain and Ireland: “Coca‑Cola works hard to behave responsibly and in a way that leaves as little impact on the planet as possible. We hope that our activity this year, more prominent than ever before, encourages our consumers to do likewise.
