Cities the world over were plunged into an hour of darkness on March 27 as millions of people voluntarily switched off their lights during Earth Hour – a protest against climate change.
Earth Hour started out in Sydney in 2007, with an estimated 2 million people turning off their lights. This year, it is estimated that more than 3,400 towns and cities in 88 countries participated in the event, going dark at precisely 8:30pm local time.
WWF UK Chief Executive David Nussbaum told CNN that Earth Hour lets people “demonstrate their concern for governments, and businesses, our leaders to take action on climate change.”
The famed Hong Kong skyline, along with other notable landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, the Egyptian Pyramids and the Empire State Building in New York all took part in the annual green event.
“This year we have enormous numbers of people, thousands of towns and cities, villages, community groups and lots of businesses all switching off their lights. That’s a symbol, and iconic action, to demonstrate the way we all need to come together to tackle climate change to safeguard the future for people and wildlife,” said Nussbaum.
That influence even went into cyberspace, with our very own Tech In Style website getting into the spirit. The week prior to the event, the website featured a link that took users to the official Earth Hour website. And during Earth Hour itself, the website went “dark”, with visitors to the site being treated to the official Earth Hour video.
From its humble beginnings in 2007, Earth Hour proves that the common man can make a stand for the environment through the simple act of flipping a light switch.
›› Earth Hour 2010 – a night to remember
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Tamsin