In a festive ceremony held on the roof of one of the Azrieli towers in central Tel Aviv just before 8 pm Thursday, President Shimon Peres and
Mayor Ron Huldai declared the beginning of "Earth Hour", during which hundreds of local businesses and households turned off lights and shut down electrical appliances for an hour to raise awareness of global warming.
"Israel
should be a leader in the global environmental campaign," Peres said during the ceremony, "it is the mission of every Israeli citizen to ensure the future of the generations to come.
Azrieli towers go dark (Photo: Yaron Brener)
At the same time, some 40,000 people gathered at Rabin Square to take part in the campaign's main event, during which rock band Knesiat Hasechel held a concert powered by a bicycle generator.
The Tel Aviv Municipality called the event a "great success", and the Israel Electric Corporation said the drop in the supply of electricity during "Earth Hour" was indicative of the residents' cooperation.
Twenty-four other major cities around the world have joined the campaign, which was launched in Sydney two years ago.
RSS
