'Earth Hour" marked in the Capital City; Presidency, Gov't, Parliament to switch the light off

Several public institutions in the Capital City Bucharest, as well as organizations are marking on Saturday the "Earth Hour."

* The Presidential Administration joins the "Earth Hour" campaign for the fourth consecutive year.

In this respect, on Saturday, between 20.30 and 21.30 EET, the lights at the Cotroceni Palace will be switched off, informs the Presidency.

* The Parliament Palace will interrupt Saturday night indoor and outdoor lighting. The Chamber of Deputies supports and participates in this event from its first edition in Romania, while underscoring, every time, the importance of responsible actions and projects beneficial to the environment and citizens.

* The Victoria Palace too will switch the lights off for an hour. Thus, the Government joins, in 2018, the public institutions and organizations in the country and around the world that mark the "Earth Hour."

The government's example is also joined by ministries and other governmental institutions.

The Government wishes to reconfirm thus the attention it attaches to the environmental and energy efficiency issues, among the governance programme's objectives being also that of redefining Romania's energy policies, while focusing on research, innovation and the promotion of new technologies on energy storage, smart grids or energy efficiency measures across the entire system, the Executive says.

* The Earth Hour will also be marked by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On Saturday, between 20,30 and 21,30 EET, the lights will be turned off at the headquarters of the Foreign Ministry, the diplomatic missions, the consular offices and the Romanian cultural institutes abroad, with the symbolic aim of drawing attention to the need to protect the environment and the planet's resources and to the responsibility that each of us have in this respect, says a Ministry's statement.

* Other organizations and associations in the capital are also joining this approach.

The Adevaratii VeloPriteni Association marks the "Earth Hour'' in a unique way.

"We invite all cyclists from Bucharest (with a bicycle or only an accessory - helmet, vest, pump, bell etc.) to join us on Saturday at 19.30 at the Bicycle Race in Izvor Park to cycle, if the weather allows us to do so, to play in the snow, to take pictures, while giving each participant a custom ticket or a vest to encourage them to share their energy with nature the entire year," the representatives of the Association said.

* The ''Earth Hour'' will also be marked by singing. The choirs in Bucharest and the country, reunited under the Cantus Mundi National Programme, will also join this international initiative. Thus, for an hour, all those involved in the most important choral movement for children in Romania will turn off the lights and sing for the Earth and its energy.

The concerts will take place simultaneously in over 27 counties, and in Bucharest, where the event will take place in the Carol Park.

*** This year, when the event reached it's 11th anniversary, more than 6,500 cities around the world will mark the "Earth Hour."

The Earth Hour event was first held on March 31 2007 in Sydney, Australia, when 2 million people and 2,100 companies switched off the lights for one hour, showing concern for one of the biggest problems today: global warming.

In 2008, the "Earth Hour" became a global movement, including 100 million people in more than 30 countries.

In 2009 and 2010, the global campaign has evolved, involving nearly one billion people in over 4,000 cities around the world.

Since 2011, the Earth Hour has entered a new stage where people everywhere have been urged not only to turn off the lights, but to engage in environmental action every day. AGERPRES (RO - author: Alina Novaceanu, Florentina Peia, editor: Georgiana Tănăsescu; EN - editor: Cristina Zaharia)