Brisbane's lights turn off

Thousands of Brisbane residents eagerly participated in the city’s first Earth Hour, with people and businesses turning off their lights between 8 and 9pm on March 29.

A succession of neon lights throughout the usually glittering CBD flicked off, and part or all of many office towers were also cloaked in darkness.

Non-essential lighting on iconic structures was also switched off as the city’s citizens and various organisations expressed their concerns about global warming.

These icons included the Story and Captain Cook bridges, XXXX brewery, Suncorp clock and several government and council structures.

Candlelight could be seen flickering in apartments located near the city centre, and several families throughout the city hosted Earth Hour events at private residences.

About 9000 people and 900 businesses in Queensland officially signed up as Earth Hour supporters prior to the event, but it is estimated many more took part on the night.

More than 100 guests enjoyed a VIP event at Kangaroo Point Cliffs during the hour, and looked on as several lights went down in the CBD. Queensland Energy Minister GEOFF Wilson addressed the event, saying it signified how people were genuinely concerned about the impact of climate change

Organisers of the event in Brisbane and Queensland are happy with the response, but hope the initiative becomes bigger in years to come.

They see the inaugural Earth Hour as a “beginning” and hope people take the ideas and symbolism behind the event into their everyday lives

There is a genuine hope Queenslanders work hard to protect our beautiful environment and make simple – but important - changes in their lives.

Hopefully, Earth Hour will encourage people to be more conscious about the use of energy on a daily basis.