Press Release

Earth Hour 2016 in Georgia: The Future Starts Today

19 March 2016

On 19 March 2016, Georgia for the eights time joined Earth Hour, the global movement for climate action, which celebrates the tenth edition of its signature lights off event in the world.

At 8:30 PM, landmarks and public buildings all over the country symbolically went dark for an hour followed by the street actions and rallies in support of greener and safer future of the planet.

The Earth Hour sites in Tbilisi included Narikala Fortress, Peace Bridge, TV Tower, Presidential Palace, Parliament, Government Chancellery, City Hall, Youth Palace, UN House, government offices and main avenues.

Hundreds of Earth Hour supporters, including for the citizens, Government officials, representatives of civil society, international organizations and embassies, came to the Round Garden in front of the UN House for a traditional lights-off celebration with live music, candles and the Shadow Theatre show.

Gigla Agulashvili, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia; Shombi Sharp, UNDP Resident Representative a.i.; Nana Janashia, Executive Director of CENN; and Giorgi Sanadiradze, Head of WWF Caucasus, addressed the participants of the Earth Hour event.

The presenters – the well-known blogger, artist and musician, Zura Balanchivadze, and teenage TV anchor, Gigo Shiukashvili, talked about green life-style and our joint responsibility for protecting the planet.

Youth eco club members made the Earth Hour symbol 60+ with candles to show that climate action needs to go beyond just one hour.

Earth Hour in Tbilisi was organised by the United Nations Office in Georgia (UNO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia, Tbilisi City Hall, Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN) and WWF Caucasus.

Born in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour has grown to become the world's largest grassroots movement for the environment, inspiring individuals, communities, businesses and organizations in over 170 countries and territories to take tangible climate action.

Last year, more than 10 thousand of iconic landmarks were switched off all over the globe. +378 Million twits and +36.5 Million Facebook posts followed the Earth Hour events.