On the 19th of March, 2016 from 8.30 to 9.30 p.m. the university turned off the light for one hour – Earth Hour as a symbol of their commitment to the planet. The event “Earth Hour” was held on the initiative of professor Svitlana Sovhira and was organized by workers of scientific and research laboratory “Ecology and Education”.

Turning off lights for one hour is not aimed at energy’s economy. This is a symbolic action held worldwide annually encouraging individuals, communities, households and businesses to pay attention to ecologic problems. The campaign’s effect is supposed to be much more fundamental and long-lasting – it is about change of million people’s habit, everyday economy of natural resources. Today, Earth Hour engages a massive mainstream community on a broad range of environmental issues. The one-hour event continues to remain the key driver of the now larger movement.

The action, held on the territory of the new building of the university, joined students and lecturers of Nature and Geography Department, teachers, parents and pupils of general educational school №3 of Uman. The action’s participants were interested in sky full of stars, which they viewed with the help of telescope. It became possible owing to assistant professor, Ihor Tkachenko; the organizers of the “Earth Hour were grateful him for it. Special gratitude was expressed to head of trade union committee Oleksandr Osadchiy for his financial aids.

During the event there was held a small concert, in which participated students and pupils.

Reference.

It was famously started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Since then it has grown to engage more than 7000 cities and towns worldwide. It was joined by 100 mln. people over 35 countries all over the world. In 2009 Ukraine, together with the other 126 countries joined the world action “Earth Hour”. In 2015 it had a success – the action was supported by 172 countries, 7000 cities. Mayors of Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro, Paris and many others supported the event. In Ukraine the campaign joined Kyiv, Odessa, Lviv, Kharkiv, Poltava and the others.

The campaign of Earth Hour-2016 was supported by Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine and State Agency in Energy’s Efficiency and Preservation of Ukraine.