OREANDA-NEWS. March 24, 2010. For the second year in a row, President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers will be taking part in the “Earth Hour” project, which brings together people in Latvia and the whole world. People are asked to turn off their lights for one hour, beginning at 8:30 PM, thus focusing attention on climate change.

The lights will be turned off on the two towers of the Rоga Castle during “Earth Hour.” That will be the second time that this has been done since 1995, when the castle was restored for the offices of the President. Lights in the President’s residence in Jыrmala will also be dimmed.

President Zatlers is the patron of Latvia’s Big Cleanup and Forest Days, and he has this to say about “Earth Hour”: “You don’t have to invest excessive resources or capacities that are beyond human ability to live in harmony with our environment. What we all need is a strong desire to see a Latvia that is clean, green and dynamic. We must move forward toward that goal. The ‘Earth Hour’ programme shows that its strength lies in unity. If we all work together, we’ll be able to ensure that Latvia is one of the greenest countries in Europe.”

“Earth Hour” is organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Businesses, local governments and individuals are asked to turn off the lights for one hour to demonstrate support for the fight against climate change. Local governments in 37 of Latvia’s administrative districts will be taking part in the project this year.

“Earth Hour” began as the initiative of just one city – Sydney, Australia – in 2007, and 2.2 million households and companies took part. In 2008, “Earth Hour” was a global phenomenon, bringing together some 50 million people in 35 countries.