GUWAHATI, March 29 - Assam joined the rest of the country in observing Earth Hour last night by switching off lights for an hour.
Households and government establishments that remained open during the lockdown, besides the essential service providers, switched off non-essential lights from 8.30 pm for an hour to mark the occasion, which is observed on the last Saturday of March every year.
�Earth Hour and Lights Out became the global symbol of a binding resolution to protect and conserve our planet. As the world grapples with COVID-19 pandemic, forcing nationwide lockdowns across the globe, Earth Hour 2020 was observed with the mottos �Be the Voice for the Planet� and �Take the Step Up for the Planet Challenge�,� a WWF India statement said.
The Earth Hour campaign, the largest grassroots global campaign on conservation by the WWF network, has always endeavoured to bring conservation issues to the forefront by engaging governments, leaders, businesses and civil society.
The simple act of switching off lights for an hour has led to bigger changes around policy at a global level. In India, the campaign takes forward the �Give Up to Give Back� initiative through Earth Hour 2020, in an effort to build awareness and engagement around the need to give up excessive consumption and move towards a more sustainable lifestyle for the planet and its people.
Archita Baruah Bhattacharyya, coordinator, WWF India, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh State Office, added that going digital with Earth Hour brought out the creativity in people. �We at WWF India hope that it will make people think about the future and the choices they will make to preserve planet earth,� she said.
