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Having started in 2007 as the city of Sydney took a bold stand against global warming, the Earth Hour event has since grown to span the globe, attracting the support and participation of up to 50 million people in 2008.
Turn off your lights. Take a stand. Image: Earth Hour.
Event organisers are hoping that this weekend’s third annual Earth Hour will be even bigger and will see more people fighting for the planet in a simple but effective energy-saving gesture.
All that Earth Hour asks is that people, whoever and wherever they may be, simply acknowledge their concern for the planet by switching off their home lights between 20:30 and 21:30 on Saturday, March 28 (based on region).
And it’s a request that is notably backed from the Great Pyramids in Egypt to the Eiffel Tower in Paris and by numerous business and entertainment heavyweights such as Richard Branson, Nelly Furtado, Kevin Bacon and Cate Blanchett.
Even fast food giant McDonalds will be dimming the tempting glow of its golden arches at 500 of its Midwest restaurants during the assigned hour.
Notably supported by more than 2,800 municipalities across 84 countries around the world, participation in Earth Hour 2009 “is a way for the citizens of the world to send a clear message,” said U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in a promotional video for the event. “They want action on climate change.”
And it would appear that an improvement on last year’s estimated tally of 50 million participants could well be on the cards after Internet titan Yahoo said online searches for “Earth Hour” have increased by a whopping 344 percent in the two months running up to the big day.
In terms of Earth Hour’s effects on U.S. shores, almost 200 cities, towns and villages have pledged their support, with a lack of illumination set to hit the likes of the Empire State Building and Broadway in New York City, while Chicago’s Sears Tower will lose all of its 24 powerful spotlights.
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