Press releases

MINSK, 10 March (BelTA) – Belarus will join the large-scale environmental campaign Earth Hour on 19 March, BelTA learned from the press service of the environmental partnership Green Network.

The country will celebrate the Earth Hour by switching off all electronic appliances and lights for an hour at 8.30pm to raise awareness for the planet.

This year, the Belarusian cities of Minsk, Vitebsk, Grodno, Gomel, Brest, Baranovichi, Pinsk, Braslav, and Chausy will join the campaign by turning off the lighting of administration buildings, shopping malls, and cafes, and organizing themed concerts, lectures, bike rides, and shadow-theater performances.

In Minsk, the building lighting will be off along Nezavisimosti and Pobeditelei Avenues, on the National Library, some shopping centers, universities, and cafes.

“In 2016 the world will step into a new era of climate action. This year marks the tenth Earth Hour’s lights out event. Belarus will join the campaign for the eighth time. The initiative is gaining momentum each and every year,” Green Network said.

The initiative is aimed at raising the awareness on climate change and emphasizing the importance of everyone’s contribution to the preservation of the planet’s natural resources. In Belarus, the campaign is initiated by the environmental partnership Green Network and supported by the Energy Efficiency Department of the State Committee for Standardization and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.

In 2015, Belarus saved 100,000 kW/h of electricity, which is enough to power Minsk Tractor Works during peak electricity hours.

The annual Earth Hour campaign engages millions of people in 7,000 cities and towns around the world.