Mumbai gears up for Earth Hour today

As cities world-over observe the Earth Hour tonight, Mumbai too gears up to turn off the lights for an hour, from 8.30-9.30 pm.

As cities world-over observe the Earth Hour tonight, Mumbai too gears up to turn off the lights for an hour, from 8.30-9.30 pm. The initiative, which began in 2007 in Sydney in partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature, has seen an encouraging response each passing year, making it a global movement to save the environment.

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Lights at the Gateway of India will be put off just as global landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Eiffel Tower and Rome’s Colosseum will stand in darkness for the cause.

Campaigning and raising awareness for the Earth Hour, environment groups in the city are hoping to rope in concerned individuals, “We are organising a candle light vigil at 8pm at Meluha the Fern Ecotel, Powai and are expecting around 300 people. To motivate people, we will also present trophies to buildings that put off maximum lights,” says Elsie Gabriel, founder president, Young Environmentalists Programme Trust. To make the dark hour pleasant for the participants, the trust is also organising a music performance by violinist Sunita Bhuyan.

City hotels too will woo customers with special candle-light dinners and green menus during the hour. “During the Earth Hour tonight, the hotel will be serving special dishes with locally procured ingredients to show its commitment towards the green cause,” said a representative of ITC Hotels, Mumbai.