On March 20, Samsung Electronics’ seven campuses in Korea and 31 sales branches around the world joined together to contribute to Earth Hour, a global lights-out campaign from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). By switching off the lights for one hour, the company hopes to raise awareness about environmental issues and energy inequality, particularly in regions suffering from power shortages.

This is the third year that Samsung has taken part in the initiative, with the company expanding participation in Korea from one to seven campuses. While the WWF event takes place on a Saturday, Samsung chose to conduct its event on a weekday evening in order to minimize CO₂ emissions. The company saved approximately 5.7 tons of CO₂in the process, which is equivalent to the amount that around 870 30-year-old pine trees can absorb over the course of a year.

In addition to the lights-out campaign, in April the company will deliver 1,200 solar-powered LED lanterns assembled by employee volunteers to regions without electricity, including villages in Vietnam and Malawi. The materials for the lanterns were purchased with money saved by turning out the lights for the campaign and the lanterns are expected to help those in rural villages without electrical power continue their way of life after dark.

Kyungbin Chun, Head of Samsung’s Global CS Center, stated: “We will continue this meaningful campaign to raise awareness on global environmental issues and present the light of hope to regions suffering from power shortages.”

The WWF’s Earth Hour marks its 13^th anniversary this year. The event is held on the last Saturday of March in order to raise awareness about the dangers of climate change and inspire people worldwide to take action for the planet.

This year marks the second global lights-out campaign by Samsung. Last year, Samsung delivered LED lamps to Tiom, a rural village in Indonesia’s Papua province. Tiom residents are now able to continue their livelihood even at night time. This year, solar-powered LED lamps, assembled by employee volunteers in Suwon, will be delivered to rural villages in Mactan, Philippines, and Phitsanulok, Thailand where residents suffer from power shortages.

”Building an LED lantern is not, in itself, a difficult task,” said Kyosung Koo, a Samsung employee who volunteered to help assemble the kits. “But it’s exciting to imagine how small efforts like this can help change the lives of many people.”

Samsung’s ‘Share the Light’ campaign precedes the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)’s Earth Hour, which will be held on March 24 this year. Samsung Electronics chose to operate its program on a weekday to maximize the effect of turning the lights off, including reducing office CO2 emissions and heightening public awareness.

“The Samsung ‘Share the Light’ campaign focuses on raising awareness on environmental issues, as well as sharing hope,” said Soonsun Shim, Senior Vice President and Leader, Global Customer Satisfaction Center at Samsung Electronics. “We will continue this lights-out project as part of our wider environmental and citizenship initiatives around the world.”