Earth Hour took on a festival feel on Fellows Oval as hundreds of students and staff enjoyed fire twirling, tribal drumming, and a giant image of the world in candles.

	Many hands make light work: participants survey their design skills.
	Fire-twirlers lend their spark to the flickering candle world. (Photos: Stuart Hay, ANU Photography)

Almost 500 people took part in the climate-change awareness event on 29 March, with the largest number of participants coming from on-campus residences.

Organisers were at the oval from before noon on Saturday, placing the 1500 candles that traced an Aussie-centric vision of the world underscored by giant letters spelling ANU.

After sunset this flickering design became a literal reminder about the complex links between energy use and the future of the planet.

"I think that the event put Earth Hour on people's radars and served as a reminder that ANU cares about these issues," organiser Jennifer McMillin from ANUgreen said. "The oval really had a festival vibe to it and everyone seemed to have a lot of fun."

Onlookers enjoyed a free barbecue, music, and games around the oval prior to Earth Hour between 8pm and 9pm.

Jennifer said the event was about raising awareness, but also about how a strong community is a crucial step in safeguarding the planet's future. "Earth Hour is not about one hour per se – it's about our collective power to make a significant and quantifiable impact," she said.

While the action on campus focussed on the ground, researchers at Mt Stromlo were helping a group of 90 people look to the skies thanks to the reduced amount of light pollution during Earth Hour.

The winners of a public colouring competition and their families were treated to a stargazing session led by the student outreach group at the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics.

"The weather was really good so everyone had clear views of the stars," explained PhD candidate Emma Kirby. "The highlight of the evening for most children was seeing the rings of Saturn."

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