Romania will once again join the Earth Hour movement this year and will turn off the lights this Saturday (March 23, 2013) between 20:30 and 21:30, as part of the global climate change initiative. Several important institutions in Romania, as well as hotels and shopping centers will stay in the dark for one hour.

Lights will go off in many Romanian cities, such as Bucharest, Botosani, Constanta, Pitesti, Hunedoara, Iasi, Slatina, Brasov, and Cluj. In Timisoara - the Earth Hour Capital in Romania this year - the movement will be celebrated through several events, such as concerts and fire juggling. Moreover, the public lights in the city’s Victoria square, city center, Unirii square and in Alpinet, Central and Justitiei parks will go off between 20:30 and 21:30.

In Bucharest, important institutions including the Parliament, the Romanian Cultural Institute, the Romanian Athenaeum, the National Museum Grigore Antipa, the Czech Center and the National Museum of History will stay in the dark for one hour.

Also, some hotels in Bucharest will mark this movement with special events. Athenee Palace Hilton will celebrate Earth Hour through a variety of activities, including a traditional “green dinner” in the hotel’s Roberto’s restaurant. To support this green initiative, hotel’s guests are invited to add a RON 5 donation to their food and beverage bill, money which will go to ViitorPlus, a charity specializing in forestation of degraded land. Another hotel in Bucharest, the Howard Johnson, will also turn off the lights for one hour on Saturday and will organize information campaigns for its guests. AFI Palace Cotroceni shopping center also joins Earth Hour this year and will stay in the dark between 20:30 and 21:30.

This year’s Earth Hour marks the seventh year of the campaign. The movement started in 2007 in Australia, when over 2.2 million individuals and 2,000 businesses turned their lights out for one hour. In 2012, over 6900 cities in 152 countries around the world joined Earth Hour and turned off the lights.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Sxc.hu)