EARTH HOUR AND SPIDER-MAN JOIN FORCES TO SAVE THE PLANET
THURSDAY,
FEBRUARY 13TH, 2014: In a first of its kind partnership, Spider-Man
will be the first Super Hero ambassador for Earth Hour, the global
movement organized by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), with a message
to inspire individuals to use their power to become Super Heroes for the
planet.
Andy Ridley, CEO and Co-Founder of Earth Hour, and
Jeff Blake, Chairman, Worldwide Marketing and Distribution, Sony
Pictures Entertainment, made the announcement in conjunction with the
launch of Earth Hour Blue – a radical new digital crowdfunding and
crowdsourcing platform for the planet, launched to engage people around
the world and participants in the famous lights out event, which this
year will be held on Saturday March 29, at 8:30pm.
This year, Earth Hour and the hero of the highly anticipated motion picture
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
– along with the film’s stars, Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx
and director Marc Webb – are throwing their support behind Earth Hour
Blue, which aims to harness the power of the crowd to raise funds for
on-the-ground environmental projects from across the world.
“I’m
proud Spider-Man is the first Super Hero ambassador for Earth Hour
because he shows we can all be Super Heroes when we realize the power we
all have,” says Andrew Garfield, who plays Spider-Man in the upcoming
film. “Earth Hour is a movement that has created massive impact around
the world, so imagine what we can do this year with Spider-Man by our
side.”
The crowdfunding section of the new platform will allow
participants to help deliver energy efficient stoves to families in
Madagascar, help communities in the Philippines build fiberglass boats
to withstand climate impacts like Typhoon Haiyan and raise funds to
expand and conserve the iconic Table Mountain National Park in South
Africa, with many more projects to come.
“Earth Hour gives you the
power to inspire anyone, even if you’re just one person, and Earth Hour
is much more than an hour. There are great projects from the crowd,
for the planet, happening all over the world,” said Emma Stone.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
director Marc Webb is the first celebrity ambassador to announce the
Earth Hour Blue project he is backing, which aims to provide better
equipment for WWF Rangers protecting Indonesia’s endangered wildlife
such as the Sumatran Tiger, Elephant, Rhino and Orangutan and their
forest habitat.
“Earth Hour is a movement full of Super Heroes –
people harnessing the power of the crowd to inspire change for the good
of the planet, imagine the possibilities when we come together and do
more,” said Marc Webb.
Earth Hour has grown to involve hundreds of
millions of people from all walks of life across 7000 cities and towns
and 154 countries and territories. Jamie Foxx who plays the villain
Electro in the film said, “Earth Hour isn’t just about lights off; it’s
about people across the world coming together throughout the year to
join forces to improve the planet. Never underestimate your power,
never underestimate what you can do.”
Individuals can also use
Earth Hour’s crowdsourcing platform for Earth Hour Blue, which will call
for people to add their voice to some of the biggest environmental
campaigns across the world; including an Instagram campaign for people
to share their love of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, as part of
WWF-Australia’s “Lights Out For The Reef” theme for Earth Hour 2014.
Global
participants in the movement will also be able to sign the Shark
Saver’s “I’m FINished With FINS” pledge, which engages celebrities and
public figures throughout Asia to help end shark finning in marine
waters for the consumption of shark-fin soup.
“The idea of Earth
Hour has grown beyond anything we could have dreamed. This year with the
help of Spider-Man by our side, we are taking the movement to the next
stage. We hope that Spider-Man will empower individuals to be Super
Heroes for the planet, and use their voice or their dollar to support
projects or campaigns around the world. It’s about harnessing the power
of the crowd. That’s what Earth Hour Blue is all about,” said Ridley.
Sony
Pictures Entertainment will join by contributing to a WWF-China and
Earth Hour Blue project that provides efficient cookstoves to prevent
deforestation in the habitat of the Giant Panda. Through its efforts,
the studio will receive Gold Standard carbon offsets that render the
entire physical production of
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as well as its publicity tour, carbon-neutral.
Expanding on many sustainability efforts over the years,
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
became the most eco-friendly tentpole production in the history of
Columbia Pictures. These environmental efforts, on set and off, were
supported at every level – from producers, studio executives, and cast
and crew and began as soon as the film went into pre-production.
“Spider-Man’s
always been a very relatable Super Hero. Peter Parker is a hero to all
people, and an inspiration, so it seems very fitting that he should
join forces with Earth Hour to empower every single individual to help
save the planet,” Blake added. “I’m also very proud of the fact that
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
is entirely carbon-neutral. We made a commitment to be as
eco-conscious as possible during production itself, when we took a
special effort to think green and avoid waste; now, completing that
process with Earth Hour Blue is a wonderful testament to what we can
achieve when we all work together.”
Earth Hour and its Super Hero
ambassador Spider-Man remind us that “with great power comes great
responsibility,” so get involved and use your power at
earthhour.org.
To view the Earth Hour Spider-Man Partnership Video, please go to:
www.earthhour.org/spiderman
Participants can engage on social media using the hash-tags #EarthHour and #SpiderMan
.
About Earth Hour
Earth
Hour is a global environmental movement of WWF. As one of the first
opensourced environmental campaigns, Earth Hour has grown from a
symbolic event in one city into a global movement, crowdsourcing actions
from individuals, businesses, organizations and governments to generate
environmental outcomes. In 2014, Earth Hour Blue sees the movement
enter the most exciting stage of its evolution, to be at the forefront
of crowdfunding and crowdsourcing for causes, innovation and creativity
for the planet.
About WWF
WWF
is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent
conservation organizations, with almost five million supporters and a
global network active in more than 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to
stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a
future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the
world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural
resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and
wasteful consumption.
About The Amazing Spider-Man 2
We’ve
always known that Spider-Man’s most important battle has been within
himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker
and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in The
Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker finds that a greater conflict lies
ahead.
It’s great to be Spider-Man
(Andrew Garfield). For Peter Parker, there’s no feeling quite like
swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending
time with Gwen (Emma Stone). But being Spider-Man comes at a price:
only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable
villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro (Jamie
Foxx), Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his
old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, Peter comes to realize
that all of his enemies have one thing in common: OsCorp. Directed by
Marc Webb. Produced by Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach. Screen Story and
Screenplay by Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci & Jeff Pinkner.
Based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. The film
will be released in theaters internationally beginning April 16, 2014,
and in the U.S. on May 2, 2014. #SpiderMan
About Sony Pictures
Sony
Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment
Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global
operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and
distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution;
television networks; digital content creation and distribution;
operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment
products, services and technologies. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com.
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel
Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney
Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based
entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000
characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel
utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and
publishing. For more information visit marvel.com. ©MARVEL