NSW: Chatham Island kicks off Earth Hour switch-off
28 Mar 2009 7:55 PM
SYDNEY, March 28 AFP - Chatham Island, the largest of a tiny group of Pacific islands 800km southeast of New Zealand, has kicked off Earth Hour by switching off its diesel generators at 8.30pm local time (1745 AEDT) on Saturday.
The third annual Earth Hour, when households and businesses are asked to turn off their power for one hour from 8.30pm, has grown to this year include 3,929 cities, villages and localities across 84 countries.
Some 371 landmarks will power down the world over including Sydney's Harbour Bridge and Opera House, the Vatican, Niagara Falls, the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, the Las Vegas casino strip, the Acropolis and Beijing's "Bird's Nest" Olympic stadium.
