ADSHEL'S INVOLVEMENT WITH EARTH HOUR IN 2009.

In line with its corporate strategy of supporting the community and environment, Adshel has committed to supporting Earth Hour in 2009 by donating a national media campaign in March worth over $260,000.

Earth Hour has grown to become one of the world's biggest climate change initiatives. In 2009, at 8.30pm on March 28, people around the world will turn their lights off for one hour - Earth Hour. The campaign is aiming to reach one billion people, in more than 1000 cities, all joining together in a global effort to show that it's possible to take action on global warming.

Adshel has been associated with the Earth Hour initiative of WWF Australia since the inception of the project in 2007. In line with the growing scale of the now global Earth Hour event, Adshel has increased its sponsorship commitment in 2009 and has allocated 400 street furniture panels in March to help promote the event. The message of "Vote Earth" has been displayed in all capital cities in Australia including Canberra, promoting Earth Hour in the areas of Adshel coverage where millions of Australians live.

The posters for the Earth Hour national campaign have been printed on recyclable poster stock as part of Adshel's poster recycling program.

Apart from donating a media campaign, the outdoor media company has also come up with a fun and innovative staff engagement initiative. Adshel organised a competition for its employees to design a version of the Earth Hour poster, with the winning entry displayed in a 1.8x1.2m lightbox at St Leonards rail station for the last 2 weeks of March.

The competition generated responses from all departments of the company, from IT to finance to sales & marketing, with great passion for Earth Hour presented through entries! The winner was selected by the panel which included WWF representative, and the winning entry by Selina Nisanyan is now up on the street!

Selina Nisanyan, winner of Adshel's Earth Hour poster competition, with her poster at St Leonards Rail Station.

Adshel has also signed up to participate in Earth Hour by switching off lights in all its 9 offices across Australia and New Zealand. We are also promoting the cause via the Adshel website and social media, as well as through our communication with clients and suppliers.

ADSHEL'S OTHER SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES INCLUDE:

• Installing solar-powered bus and tram shelters across Australia
• Poster Recycling Program
• Tree planting projects of over 10,800 trees being planted in the Daintree
• Developing water-harvesting solutions for street furniture
• Green office policies to reduce Adshel offices’ carbon footprint
• Printing marketing materials on recycled paper
• Use of environmentally friendly cleaning and maintenance products & practices
• Participation in the Sustainability Advantage Program run by the DECC 
• Supporting organisations with environmental focus, such as WWF, Rainforest Rescue, Oxfam

Elvira Lodewick, Marketing Director of Adshel, comments:
"Adshel has been supporting Earth Hour since its beginning in 2007, because we believe it is important to be in touch with the environment. Initiatives like this are vital to raise the awareness about climate change issues, and Earth Hour is a simple yet effective way to engage many people and organisations. It is crucial that the media industry gets behind this project, and out of home media in particular are very well placed to deliver the "Vote Earth" message to millions of Australians. Adshel is proud to be a part of Earth Hour, and we hope that many more organisations will be joining as supporters."