On a foggy March evening, Harvard Medical School (HMS) proudly joined with the rest of the Harvard Schools in order to participate in Earth Hour, sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund. From 8:30 to 9:30pm on Saturday, March 28th, people across the globe were asked to turn off their lights for this one hour as a show of support for protecting our Earth and mitigating the effects of climate change.
The Medical School’s participation was a demonstration of support for Harvard’s goals of long-term sustainability. As much lighting as possible was turned off at HMS, with some exceptions such as walkway and parking area lighting. All faculty, staff, lab researchers, and students were asked to turn off all lights in their areas, and to schedule work, research, and studies around this one hour period wherever feasible. In addition, HMS Facilities turned off lights in unoccupied areas such as Countway Library, Gordon Hall, and the New Research Building (NRB) Conference Center.
The event was largely a success, both locally and globally. The "before" and "after" (8:30pm) photos demonstrate the dramatic effect that this event had on the NRB as viewed from the outside. According to the Earth Hour website, over 4,000 cities participated from 88 countries around the world. Photos from around the world are available on the Earth Hour website.
by
Over 4,000 cities participated from 88 countries around the world.