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Belarus’ environmental ministry calls to join Earth Hour on 28 March

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MINSK, 24 March (BelTA) – Belarus’ Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection calls to join the Earth Hour-2020 and switch off the lights on buildings on 28 March for an hour from 20.30 to 21.30, Tatiana Kononchuk, the head of the central office for environmental policy, international cooperation, and science at the Belarusian Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Ministry, told the media in Minsk on 24 March, BelTA has learned.

“The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection has sent proposals and recommendations to organizations. It is important to support this international campaign. For example, we recommend that the lights be turned off on buildings at this time. This, in our opinion, will do no harm, and will bring only positive results,” Tatiana Kononchuk said.

Belarus will join the campaign for the 12th time. For example, in 2018-2019 Minsk turned off the decorative lights of the National Library, the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater, the Belarusian State Philharmonic, the National Art Museum, the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, the TSUM department store, the Stolitsa shopping mall and the Belarus Hotel.

Thousands of people contribute to the environment protection all over Belarus every year. For example, during the environmental campaign “Let’s tidy up our hometowns” the Belarusians take part in greening and volunteer cleaning projects, and public eco-monitoring.

Earth Hour is a worldwide movement organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature. It is held on the last Saturday of March and encourages people, enterprises, educational institutions, state and commercial organizations to turn off their lights and other not vital electric devices (except for lifts) for an hour to stimulate the interest to the climate change problem and  the energy unification of the humanity. Earth Hour calls attention to the careful and responsible attitude to the environment and the planet’s resources. A total of two billion people from 188 countries take part in the campaign and over 18 thousands of the architectural monuments turn off their lights every year.

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