New Delhi: Monuments across India such as Rashtrapati Bhavan, Chhatrapathi Shivaji Terminus railway station, Gateway of India, India Gate, Howrah Bridge, Victoria Memorial and Indian Museum, Kolkata observed Earth Hour 2015 by switching off their lights for an hour from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm this evening.
Air Force installations across the country also switched off all non-essential lights for one hour to mark the Earth Hour.
Earth Hour is a worldwide movement for the planet organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The event is held worldwide annually encouraging individuals, communities, households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. on the last Saturday in March, as a symbol for their commitment to the planet.
Earth Hour 2015, with its ‘India Unplugged' initiative, also encourages them to explore and adopt a cleaner and more sustainable lifestyle by embracing renewable energy solutions.
Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor was roped in as the national brand ambassador for this year's campaign. Tennis star SaniaMirza, southern actress Priya Mani, Bengali actress June Maliah and Tamil actor Bharath have also joined the initiative.
The campaign which spreads to more than 150 cities in the country have also been supported by big corporate houses like eBay India, Genpact India, Groupon India, Vodafone India Limited and Tata Consultancy Services
To make sure that the whole of India is covered, cyclothons are being held in Hyderabad, Guwahati and Trivandrum. Other events like green fairs and exhibitions of solar energy applications are being organized in Guwahati, Shimla and Kolkata. Street plays, signature campaigns, candle marches and music concerts are also being held across the country in Mumbai, Bhopal, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Shimla, Trivandrum, Kochi, Amritsar, Jaipur and other places. Various hotels in Amritsar like the Hyatt, Radisson Blue, Country Inn etc. will also host candlelight dinners for Earth Hour.
This year, more than 7,000 cities in 172 countries are expected to take part in the world's largest ever demonstration, which has grown from a single World Wildlife Fund (WWF) event in Sydney in 2007. Use #YourPower and take climate action now is the main motive of this year's Earth Hour.
