Lights go out across 180 countries for Earth Hour
When Earth Hour arrived in La Paz, Bolivia, the lights went out, but the city did not fall into complete darkness. Flickering lights of candles glowed in the streets, a part of a candlelit vigil, while the sound of drums and mimes and fire eaters provided entertainment.
La Paz is just one of the 7,000 cities across 180 countries that went dark to celebrate Earth Hour at 8:30 p.m. local time, March 30, 2019 to bring awareness to conserving nature and biodiversity.
People take part in a candlelight vigil marking Earth Hour in La Paz, Bolivia, Saturday, March 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
The event started in 2007 and is hosted every year by the World Wild Fund for Nature, an international non-governmental organization. In 2018, 84 percent of its total expenses went towards conservation activities such as conservation field and policy programs and public education.
In recognition of the annual event, Earth Hour, iconic buildings from around the world are going dark for one hour on the night of March 29-30. Among these structures are the Story Bridge in Brisbane, Australia and the Tokyo Tower in Japan.
According to the website, the first Earth Hour started out in Sydney, which then grew to become the world's largest grassroots movement for the environment. What started off in a single city grew to include the world, influencing even iconic landmarks to go dark.
The Eiffel Tower, the Roman Colosseum, the Empire State Building, the Moscow Kremlin and other landmarks turned off the lights this Earth Hour.
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