Costa Rica Will Show It’s Solidarity to WWF’s Earth Hour by Turning Off its Lights on March 28.

For 60 minutes this Saturday, March 28, Costa Rica will participate in the worldwide initiative known as “Earth Hour” to raise awareness about climate change and global warming. More than 1,500 cities in at least 80 countries around the world will show their support for the cause by turning off lights at notable landmarks and buildings. Businesses and individuals are also invited to join the global rolling black out that will start in Fiji at 8:30 p.m. and continue at the same hour time zone by time zone. It is hoped that 1 billion people will take part.

Costa Rica’s capital city of San Jose will show it’s solidarity to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) initiative by cutting lights in the Plaza de la Democracia and other iconic sites and buildings, just after the conclusion of the Costa Rica national team’s game against Mexico in route to the World Cup South Africa 2010. The change should prove dramatic as the whole nation will be watching “La Sele” try to repeat the honor of being the only team in the world to defeat Mexico in their own Azteca stadium before turning off the lights.

Earth Hour was first celebrated in Australia by 2.2 million citizens two years ago, and has since gone global, with more than 50 million people already signed up to participate. Other cities set to participate include Mexico City, Moscow, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Las Vegas, London, Lisbon, Dubai, Copenhagen, Chicago, Cape Town, Los Angeles, Sydney, Toronto, Singapore, San Francisco, Rome, Oslow and Warsaw.

Individual cities, companies and people have joined the cause and will be adding their own touch to show support and generate awareness. For example, Google will show its support by turning its display colors black during Earth Hour. Small towns have set to spread the word and promote participation among their residents, while many individuals and businesses will be holding candle lit parties, dinners, concerts and walk-a-thons in support of the event.

In Costa Rica, a concert by candlelight will be offered in the Plaza de la Democracia featuring Manuel Obregon and national musicians such as Carlos Tapado Vargas and Jaime Gamboa. There will also be circus performers, fire dancers, jugglers and a discussion about how to reduce your ecological footprint.

The goal is not only to raise awareness about the overall problem of global warming, but also to show how individual people and households can contribute to the effort and make a difference. The event itself symbolizes a conscious decision to consume less and will give people an hour to reflect on what else they can do to aid the fight against climate change.

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Filed under: Costa Rica News on March 23rd, 2009