Earth Hour Costa Rica helped conserve 5 percent of the country’s daily energy use

From 8:30 to 9 p.m. on Saturday consumers switched off their lights all across Costa Rica. The voluntary blackout was part of Costa Rica’s participation in Earth Hour, an international movement where participants turn off their lights for one hour in a symbolic gesture to support environmental conservation.

Started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, Earth Hour now is supported by more than 7,000 cities in 154 countries.  According to the Costa Rican Electricity Institute, the event helped conserve 5 percent of the nation’s daily energy consumption, the equivalent of daily energy use for 1,300 homes.