Each year during Earth Hour, the annual movement that encourages people to turn off the lights in their homes or offices for one hour to conserve energy and promote awareness about the environment, major landmarks around the world go completely dark.
From Vancouver’s Lions Gate Bridge to the Parthenon in Athens, ancient sites, iconic skyscrapers and famed tourist attractions have turned off their lights for one hour on one night for the past seven years to stand in solidarity with ordinary citizens in more than 152 countries to raise awareness for environmental protection.
The contrast between the Empire State Building or Taiwan’s Taipei 101 – stunning landmarks known for the way they light up at night in a rainbow of colour – when aglow and eerily dark is certainly striking, as seen in the images below.
Vancouver holds the honour of being named the Earth Hour capital for 2013, with the Earth Hour City Challenge panel of experts noting its “innovative actions on climate change and dedication to create a sustainable, pleasant urban environment for current and future residents” as their reasons for giving the distinction to Vancouver.
Check out our gallery of landmarks that turned off the lights for past Earth Hour events and keep your eyes on the skylines when landmarks once again turn off for Earth Hour 2013 on March 23 between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. local time.