Citizens of Sydney, both businesses and individuals, were invited to turn off their lights for just one hour, Earth Hour -- 7.30pm to 8.30pm on March 31st 2007 -- as a sign of their commitment to reduce global warming. Estimates were that more than 2 million Sydney residents joined Earth Hour, causing a 10.2% drop in energy usage across Sydney, according to Energy Australia. Furthermore, more than 30% of the businesses on the Australian Stock Exchange committed; 90 McDonalds, for instance, turned off the lights in their golden arches. This Earth Hour was just the start of a campaign that aims to reduce Sydney's greenhouse emissions by 5% in 2007. The event demonstrated the power of simple, coordinated actions and carried a compelling message: caring about the future of the planet.
