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Cities all over the world switch off their Landmark buildings lights across the globe to celebrate Earth Hour
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152 countries around the world took part in climate change awareness campaign
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| 25 March, 2013, Bhubaneswar |
Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. The following year, Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries participating.
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Since 2008 the campaign in Bhubaneswar was taken forward by Local Governance Network to encourage households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour to raise awareness about the need to take action on climate change. "We had requested Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), secretariat and commissionerate police along with several offices, urban local bodies, civil society groups, media houses, business groups, senior citizens and schools and colleges to observe the day by switching off their lights," said Manas Das, volunteer of LGNet.
The day is significant as it sends a message across that energy saving is a responsibility of every citizen, said BMC mayor A N Jena. "Like the last five years, we will observe the day this |
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year too. We will switch off the big lights consuming more energy. All the lights to run office works will remain on," said Jena.
More than 150 countries across the world, switched off their lights for an hour to support action to create a sustainable future for the planet. On 23rd March, the event took place at 8.30pm local time around the world, started in Fiji, New Zealand and Australia. The aim is to highlight the charity's call on governments, organizations and individuals to pledge their commitment to tackling climate change.
This year people in 7,001 cities covering 152 countries taken, as a result many landmarks stood in darkness for the hour included the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, Granada's Alhambra in Spain, Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, Athens' Acropolis in Greece, India Gate in New Delhi, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and Sydney's Opera House.
Executive Director and co-founder of Local Governance Network, Dr. Piyush Ranjan Rout, said on Earth Hour 2013 in India that 'People from all walks of life, from all society around the country, are the lifeblood of the Earth Hour interconnected global community. They have proven time and time again that if you believe in something strongly enough, you can achieve amazing things. These stories aren't unique, this is happening all over the world.'
It is observed many landmark buildings in India switched off the lights between 8.30pm to 9.30pm as part of the global campaign; Earth Hour includes India Gate and Qutub Minar etc. It is estimated around 150 MW power were saved in New Delhi during Earth Hour.
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