Lights out for Earth Hour

LIGHTS ARE to be turned off around the country this evening as part of the global Earth Hour campaign to highlight unnecessary energy use.

Non-essential lights at Áras an Uachtaráin and Government Buildings in Dublin will be turned off between 8pm and 9pm.

Earth Hour was started by the World Wildlife Fund in Sydney last year. The city recorded a significant drop in energy use, though the purpose of the Earth Hour campaign is not energy conservation, but energy awareness.

The initiative, which will take place in 24 cities worldwide, is being led in Ireland by Dublin City Council. It is turning off all non-street lighting on 13 of the 14 bridges in the city. It is also turning off all the lights in City Hall and the Civic Buildings.

The council's 6,000 staff have been requested to turn off all electronic equipment this weekend and not keep them on standby.

Lights in some of Dublin's most iconic buildings, most notably the Four Courts, Liberty Hall and the Custom House, will also be switched off.

The Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, whose office is based in the Custom House, is supporting the initiative, as is the Minister for Public Works, Noel Ahern, who has promised to turn off the lights in buildings under his control.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Cllr Paddy Bourke said he was "overwhelmed" by the level of support for the initiative since he first mooted it last year.

Astronomy Ireland is hosting an event at the Papal Cross in the Phoenix Park to coincide with Earth Hour.

"This is our chance to show people the wonders of the universe, such as distant galaxies, star clusters and giant gas clouds, which are normally swamped by bright city lights," said its chairman, David Moore.