The chosen place could not be more appropriate. The recently inaugurated People's Park, in the neighborhood of Itaim-Bibi, is a new leisure option for the citizens of São Paulo, with running tracks, multi-sports arenas, gardens with many growing trees, result of a project concluded in 2008. And, it was in the People's Park, an oasis surrounded by the skyscrapers of this large Brazilian metropolis, that São Paulo celebrated Earth Hour.

In the small stage set up in the marquee of the park's administration building, the mayor of São Paulo, Gilberto Kassab, alongside one of WWF-Brazil's Board Member and the Vice-President of Finances and Control, Carlos Castanho, switched off the lights of São Paulo. In many areas of the city, monuments had their lights switched off, a gesture repeated by the many apartments and houses which participated in Earth Hour. Simultaneously, the Estaiada Bridge, Monument to the Bandeiras, Obelisk and Viaduto do Chá saw their lighting switched off.

Before the symbolic gesture, the authorities spoke about the importance of this movement which started in 2004 and which saw the city's participation for the second time. "This is a very special moment for São Paulo. With this gesture, the biggest city in the country shows the way forward, switching off its lights to reflect upon the necessity to conserve our planet", said the mayor Gilberto Kassab.

The Board Member of WWF-Brazil, Carlos Castanho, highlighted that the fight against global warming is one of the main messages of Earth Hour and a challenge against which the country still has much to do. "Unfortunately, Brazil still ranks worrisomely as one of the largest world emitters of greenhouse gas emissions, largely due to deforestation", said Castanho, highlighting that reducing deforestation and conserving aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are also important messages of Earth Hour in Brazil.

Carefully watching the event was the illustrious Paulo Nogueira, Honorary President of WWF-Brazil. He is an environmentalist from "the old generations" who started his career when the issue was seen with suspicion. There were few of them. "If we gathered everyone working on the issue, we couldn't fill a small bus", remembers Nogueira. During that time, the environment didn't even figure within political discussions.

Secretary of the Environment during 4 mandates (from 1974 to 1986), he feels happy to see that the seeds planted by pioneers alongside him many years back are bearing fruit. Nonetheless, there is still much to be done. "Our fight did not end. There is still much to do for environmental conservation. Making the Kyoto Protocol happen is one of them", he highlighted.

When it comes to the new generations, the seeds launched by Dr. Paulo Nogueira will still continue to bear many fruits and win many new adepts. The young student, Enrico Oliveira, in his fifth year of Architecture, is one of these followers. He lives in Interlagos, a very distant neighborhood from the park, and had to travel a long distance to join the crowd gathered to celebrate this event in favor of the planet. Enrico mentions that he plans to use his skills as an architect to help protect the environment. "I believe that architecture can contribute a lot, especially by offering solutions that are less stressful to the environment, in construction and urbanization of cities", highlights the young man.

The twin sisters Bruna and Júlia, of 5 years old, watched the event carefully, sitting with their parents, Maurício Falsetti and Ana Claúdia in front of the stage. Bruna, the most talkative of the two comments on why it is important not to throw garbage on the floor and not to pollute the rivers and seas. "If we dirty the seas and rivers, the fishes might die", she said in the simple language of children. The father Maurício said that they live in front of the park and switched off their lights at 20h30 and went to join the party. "I believe it is important they understand environmental questions from an early age", he said. It seems that new seeds are growing into shoots. May they multiply to the point where Earth Hour will not be necessary because every day will be a day for the planet.

SOURCE: http://www.wwf.or.th/wwf_news/features/?192145/In-the-Peoples-Park-So-Paulo-many-generations-unite-in-the-fight-for-nature