Earth Hour

On March 31, 2007, from 7:30 to 8:30 PM, 2.2 million people in Sydney, Australia, turned off all non-essential lights and electrical appliances in their homes and businesses, reducing energy consumption for that hour between 2 and 10 percent.

It was the first Earth Hour, an event created by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) meant to reduce consumption and also increase awareness of energy usage. The following year, over 400 cities worldwide participated, including landmarks such as the Empire State Building in New York, the Sears Tower in Chicago, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Colosseum in Rome, the Royal Castle in Stockholm and London's City Hall.

According to a Zogby International online survey, 86 million people took part in Earth Hour, which also increased climate change awareness by 4 percentage points immediately after the event. This year's Earth Hour will take place on March 28 at 8:30 PM local time. Get those candles out.

photo: greekchickie