Keeping the Lights on During Earth Hour

Photo courtesy of
‘(275/365) [Explored!]’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

As cities around the world turned the lights off on Saturday to mark Earth Hour, some of our most famous DC landmarks kept the lights on.  Earth Hour was  an international show of commitment to action on climate change, and over 4,000 cities participated.  Here in the District, the Wilson Building, the Reeves Center, the National Cathedral, and the Smithsonian Castle all went dark, but the federal monuments continued to glow.

Check out the amazing before-and-after shots of cities during Earth Hour over at The Big Picture.  Here’s hoping the monuments turn off the lights next year, as I’d love to see how different the Mall would look without the lights shining on the monuments and memorials at night.

Shannon grew up in the greater DC area/Maryland suburbs, went to Virginia for college and grad school (go Hoos!), and settled in DC in 2006. She’s an urban planner who loves transit (why yes, that is her dressed as a Metro pylon for Halloween), cities, and all things DC. Email her at Shannon (at) WeLoveDC.com!

One thought on “Keeping the Lights on During Earth Hour”

  1. 1.) The lights & electronics being off for an hour likely saves less energy than is used to turn them back on.

    2.) All of the energy is still being produced, and wasted.

    Fail.