Global insurance and reinsurance company SiriusPoint Ltd has signed up as the lead sponsor for this year’s Earth Hour.

And international sailing competition SailGP has also announced that it has come on board as a major sponsor. The Bermuda Tourism Authority is also partnering with the event along with solar energy company Solar Lion.

Earth Hour, today, is one of the world’s largest grassroots movements for the environment and in Bermuda events to mark the time are being organised by environmental charity Greenrock.

Eugene Dean, Greenrock chairman, said: “We are very thankful for the sponsorship we have received from SiriusPoint and their commitment to being Lead Advocate for our 2021 Earth Hour Campaign.

“Their generous contribution means the world to us and will go a long way toward supporting our efforts to help make Bermuda more sustainable.

“SailGP has sustainability embedded into their operation. Their mantra is ’Powered by Nature, Driven by Purpose’ and they have taken it to another level - they have sustainability officers are looking at every aspect of their operation. It is great to have their support.

“We have very aggressive goals for our organisation this year and a variety of programmes that have the potential to deliver environmental impact and education where our community needs it most.”

Mr Dean said David Burt, The Premier agreed that the government will observe the day this year by turning off the lights during Earth Hour.

The Bermuda Tourism Authority is also partnering with the event along with solar energy company Solar Lion.

SiriusPoint, which was recently formed after the merger of Third Point Reinsurance Ltd and Sirius International Insurance Group, Ltd, is sponsoring the Bermuda part of a global campaign. Third Point Reinsurance Ltd was the lead Earth Hour sponsor in 2020.

Mark Nash, SiriusPoint Senior Vice President, Enterprise Risk Management and Head of the Charitable Donations Committee, said: “Earth Hour 2021 is designed to raise awareness about the challenges facing our planet and this year’s campaign will focus on reducing our dependency on fossil fuels.

“We are delighted to be able to sponsor such a worthwhile initiative in Bermuda. At SiriusPoint, we are committed to finding better ways to do things, to collaborate and empower individuals, and to positively impact the communities and environments we work in.

“Greenrock is doing incredible work focusing the Island's community on the challenges we face together, and we are proud that our values align with their mission.”

This year Greenrock will countdown to Earth Hour with a live stream and television broadcast today from 6.30pm to ’Lights Out’ at 8.30pm, featuring a youth segment, a community segment and a segment on the green economy.

The programme, which will be broadcast on Bermuda channels ZBM and Channel 82 and streamed live on the Greenrock website, YouTube Channel and Facebook page, will include: Young Environmental Leaders, The Eco-Schools Program Fossil Fuel Energy Generation, The Bermuda Clean Air Coalition, Trash Collection Composting and Recycling Electric Vehicles Solar PV; Battery Storage.

Mr Dean added: “We encourage everyone to tune into our Earth Hour Live broadcast and turn off any unnecessary lights from 8.30pm to 9.30pm while taking time to pause and reflect on adopting new behaviours that reduce our carbon footprint, help us live more sustainably, and inspire others to do the same.”