Moscow’s Landmarks Descend Into Darkness for Earth Hour
Major historical landmarks worldwide switched off the lights on Saturday in solidarity with Earth Hour, the environmental awareness movement spearheaded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) since 2007.
Moscow's monuments and iconic buildings were among the famous sights that descended into darkness between 8:30 and 9:30 on Saturday evening, adding an air of mystery to the Russian capital.
Here is what Russia’s capital looked like in the hour of darkness:
Moscow's monuments and iconic buildings were among the famous sights that descended into darkness between 8:30 and 9:30 on Saturday evening, adding an air of mystery to the Russian capital.
Here is what Russia’s capital looked like in the hour of darkness:
Russia first joined the Earth Hour movement in 2008 and, according to WWF, the number of Russian participants has been growing each year since.
Sophia Sandurskaya / Moskva News Agency
At least 2,000 Moscow landmarks turned off their lights on Saturday, according to WWF.
Ilya Odinovsky / WWF Russia
This year, WWF Russia chose environmental information transparency as the leading theme for Earth Hour.
Ilya Odinovsky / WWF Russia
According to WWF Russia's director, a transparent dialogue between the business community, the government and the public could have prevented the many environmental disasters that took place across Russia in 2020.
Sophia Sandurskaya / Moskva News Agency
Instagram users were invited to "turn off the light" in their stories by sharing Earth Hour's official photo.
Sophia Sandurskaya / Moskva News Agency
An Earth Hour voice command was also integrated into Alisa, the Russian smart assistant similar to Amazon's Alexa. When activated, it would turn off all house lights and turn on an earth sounds music playlist.
Sophia Sandurskaya / Moskva News Agency
All participants in Russia could share their Earth Hour experience under #Openup (#Откройся), reflecting the day's theme.
Sophia Sandurskaya / Moskva News Agency
