On Saturday, March 28th, from 8:30-9:30pm, Notre Dame joined over 2,800 cities in 84 countries in turning off the lights to show their solidarity for action on global climate change. Notre Dame was one of 70 flagship American universities participating in Earth Hour; the lights on the Dome and Hesburgh Library mural were turned off and everyone was encouraged to shut off as many lights as possible.
Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia with 2.2 million homes and businesses participating. A year later, this event had become a global movement with up to 100 million people across 35 countries participating. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square were all darkened.
To view footage from Earth Hour 2008, please click here.