Epress.am News from Armenia
The UN Office in Armenia urges Armenians to join people of the planet and to turn off non-essential lights on Saturday, Mar. 26 from 8:30–9:30 pm to observe Earth Hour, reads a press release issued yesterday by the UN office in Armenia.
“Turning off the lights for an hour will make a difference and will bring a positive change towards environmental protection. Hundreds of millions of people in 128 countries participated in the event last year, making it one of the largest public awareness-raising campaigns in the world.
“The purpose of the Earth Hour, which is organized by the international environmental conservation organization
World Wild Life (WWF), is to raise awareness about climate change and the need to use energy more efficiently.
“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. Only a year later Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries/territories participating.
“At the UN Headquarters in New York, the UN staff will be turning off lights for the Hour, and field offices also will participate, as well as many countries and organizations around the globe,” reads the release.
This year, the Marriott Hotel in Yerevan, along with a number of individuals in Armenia, will also be participating in the event.
By scheduling the event right after the vernal equinox, 8:30 pm on Mar. 26 ensures that it will be dark in both the southern and northern hemispheres at the same time.