Earth Hour: Will you unplug?

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – The lights fell dark at Sydney landmarks including the great Sydney Opera House at 8:30pm Saturday evening. The lights will remain off until 9:30pm. The Sydney Opera House was one of the first landmarks to participate in this year’s Earth Hour.

Earth Hour is an initiative where landmarks, businesses, and citizens opt to spend the hour of 8:30pm until 9:30pm local time in darkness to bring awareness to environmental issues such as energy conservation and climate change. Major landmarks that are normally bathed in fountains of light such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Empire State Building in New York will be dimming their lights to honor the event. Participation in the event is completely voluntary. Traffic lights, street lamps, and other places where lights are a part of safety and security will remain unaffected.

Last year’s Earth Hour was noticeably celebrated in approximately 90 cities world wide, including cities in China, Taiwan, and the Phillippines. Many government agencies, churches, non-profit organizations, and celebrities took place in the event. Many businesses participated in last year’s Earth Hour, including shopping malls.

The idea was brought about by employees of the Sydney World Wildlife Foundation in 2007.