See the world go dark for Earth Hour 2014

From Mashable By Ann-Marie Alcántara

A girl lights a candle in preparation for Earth Hour.IMAGE: FLICKR, EARTH HOUR

Iconic landmarks and cities went dark for one hour on Saturday to showcase their commitment to protecting the planet for this year’s Earth Hour.

Over 7,000 cities in 150 countries joined the movement with places like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Times Square in New York City, the Acropolis hill in Athens and even the Kremlin in Moscow participating.

Organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the movement began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia. Started by Earth Hour CEO and co-founder, Andy Ridley, its main goal was to raise awareness about climate change.

Since then, the event has become an international phenomenon that organizes the globe around a single symbolic act of turning off its lights. The effort also encourages participants to go beyond that simple act and think of new ways to create a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle.

“Earth Hour is a moment to kind of celebrate that trend and think about how we can switch the way we use electricity,” Keya Chatterjee, of the World Wildlife Fund, told 1010 Wins.

Check out some of the awe-inspiring photos of iconic cities and landmarks that went dark for Earth Hour.

IMAGE: FLICKR, EARTH HOUR

Preparing for Earth Hour

A girl lights a candle in preparation for Earth Hour.

IMAGE: FLICKR, EARTH HOUR

Taipei, Taiwan

A two photo montage shows the Taipei 101 skyscraper moments before and after its lights are turned off for Earth Hour 2014 in Taipei, Taiwan.

IMAGE: WALLY SANTANA/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Athens, Greece

In this photo comparison the Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis hill is shown before and after the lights were switched off to mark the annual Earth Hour in Athens, Greece.

IMAGE: KOSTAS TSIRONIS/ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York City, New York

In this composite photo, electronic billboards are turned off for Earth hour (left), and the billboards as they usually appear (right), in Times Square, New York.

IMAGE: SETH WENIG/ASSOCIATED PRESS

New Delhi, India

The landmark India Gate is seen lit (top), and then the same location with the lights turned out for one hour to mark Earth Hour, in New Delhi, India.

IMAGE: ALTAF QADRI/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Moscow, Russia

The lights are turned off at the Kremlin during the worldwide Earth Hour in Moscow, Russia.

IMAGE: DENIS TYRIN/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lights Out at Brandenburg Gate

People gather around the Brandenburg Gate after the lights were turned off to mark Earth Hour in Berlin, Germany.

IMAGE: MARKUS SCHREIBER/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

A Saudi youth takes pictures of the Kingdom Tower with its lights turned off during the worldwide Earth Hour in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

IMAGE: HASAN JAMALI/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Activists Celebrate Earth Hour

Earth Hour participants spell out the phrase ‘earth hour 2014’ in front of the illuminated Brandenburg gate before the lights were turned off to mark the event in Berlin, Germany

IMAGE: MARKUS SCHREIBER/ASSOCIATED PRESS

La Paz, Bolivia

Candles placed by participants to create the number 60, representing the minutes in an hour, marking Earth Hour in La Paz, Bolivia.

IMAGE: JUAN KARITA/ASSOCIATED PRESS

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