India Switches Off Lights for WWF Earth Hour

by Dr. Trupti Shirole on March 30, 2015 at 6:03 AM

Earth Hour was initiated by World Wide Fund for Nature to fight the acute threat that climate change poses. The Earth Hour is marked by switching off lights between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. on the last Saturday of March. It is a global people's movement inspiring individuals from more than 7,000 cities across the globe and 150 in India, making it the largest voluntary movement ever witnessed in history. India also joined in the initiative with prominent buildings in Delhi including the Rashtrapati Bhavan and Akshardham Temple having switched off their lights for an hour on Saturday to mark India's seventh Earth Hour.

The Rashtrapati Bhavan said, "All non-essential lights in the president house and the estate will be switched off for an hour on Saturday at 8.30 p.m." Lamps at the Akshardham Temple on the banks of the river Yamuna in east Delhi too blinked off for an hour. In addition, several markets, residential colonies and hotels too participated in this global movement against climate change as they switched off their lights between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. Some hotels also joined in.

The World Is Set to Go Dark for Earth Hour to Raise Awareness on Climate Change

'Earth Hour 2015' will be observed by switching off lights from 8.30pm to 9.30pm local time on March 28 in 172 countries across the world.

The Suryaa hotel in south Delhi and the Leela hotel switched off their lights. The lobbies and restaurants at Suryaa were lit up by candles and a lantern making competition was held for all guests and staff.

WWF-India organized a Green Fair and a concert at Central Park in Connaught Place where WWF National Brand Ambassador, actor Arjun Kapoor too joined. He said, "The campaign is truly a vehicle of change and has grown to garner the support of millions across the globe." The fair saw an all-day music event and also featured renewable energy products, organic food along with various eco-friendly items.

Earth Hour: 8.30pm-9.30pm, March 26, 2011

The WWF global campaign has initiated a campaign called �Earth Hour� wherein they have appealed to people to switch off lights for an hour on March 26 between 8.30pm and 9.30pm.

Ravi Singh, the WWF-India secretary general and CEO, said, "The campaign's messaging and open-source model encourages participation in a symbolic switch off and leads people to adopt sustainable practices in order to conserve the finite resources of our planet."

The Earth Hour was first observed in India in 2009.

Source: Medindia