The Netherlands in the dark for Earth Hour

All over the Netherlands, the lights went out for an hour on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. for Earth Hour, an international event to focus attention on climate change. Lights were turned off from the Martinitoren in Groningen and the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam, the Grote Kerk in Breda and the Amsterdamse Poort in Haarlem.

Households and dozens of town halls also took part in the action, as can be seen on social media. In Rotterdam, the World Wildlife Fund organized a "switch off moment" at the Boijmans Van Beuningen Depot. Pianist Ruben Hein accompanied that moment with music. "Earth Hour is important because it makes people aware that we need to be more frugal with what we have," he said.

Astronaut André Kuipers is ambassador of the World Wildlife Fund. "The earth is vulnerable, let's take care of our planet and nature," he said. "I also do my part and of course turn off the light for an hour during Earth Hour. On Sunday I'm going to get some fresh air on the beach to pick up litter there."

Earth Hour has also been celebrated elsewhere in the world, such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the pyramids in Egypt. The event first took place in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, where Earth Hour is organized by the Australian World Wildlife Fund. According to the organization, 190 countries are now participating in the campaign.