The city’s most famous landmarks, including the Howrah bridge and Victoria Memorial, participated in Earth Hour by switching off their lights for an hour. Earth Hour is a global event that takes place on March 25 every year and encourages individuals and organizations to turn off their lights for one hour. In addition to the iconic landmarks, other buildings such as the Indian Museum, Rotary Sadan, Tata Centre, and Taj Bengal also participated. The lights were turned off at 8:30 pm and turned back on at 9:30 pm.
WWF-India, which coordinated the Earth Hour events, also organized a cycling event called “Pedal for the Planet” in partnership with SwitchON and Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco). The West Bengal state office of WWF-India hosted the event and also organized street plays to raise awareness about resource conservation and sustainable living. Singer, composer, and lyricist Anindya Bose participated in the event and lent his voice towards nature conservation.
Saswati Sen, the director of the WWF-India West Bengal office, emphasized the importance of Earth Hour in promoting sustainable development and reducing the environmental impact of urban lifestyles. Sen also highlighted the benefits of cycling as a sustainable mode of transportation.
In addition to the Earth Hour events, the Nature Environment & Wildlife Society released a document featuring 120 birds photographed with GPS at Eco Park. The organization called for the creation of more green spaces to promote a more environmentally friendly and sustainable urban environment.
Earth Hour, which originated in Sydney in 2007, has become the world’s largest grassroots environmental movement, with millions of people participating every year.
