On the evening of December 16th at 7pm, the lights went out in the city of Copenhagen. No, it wasn’t a power outage, but Earth Hour Hopenhagen--a symbolic event to demonstrate the will of the people for a positive outcome at COP15.

Assembled for the event were mayors from around the world, leaders of NGOs and everyday people--all "citizens of Hopenhagen." The event was a celebration of people power with ambassador guests giving rallying speeches, and local bands singing of hope. West Wing actor Bradley Whitford made a moving declaration of hope to the assembled crowd: “On behalf of my children and my children’s children, I hope our leaders have the imagination and vision to face the issue of a lifetime."

There were also solemn moments in the one-hour event. The presentation of the People's Orb by a child to UN Chief of Staff Vijay Nambiar was such a moment. The People's Orb, a shimmering metal sphere of the globe, represents the millions of global citizens that have signed petitions and taken actions to influence their leaders at the conference. The signatures of the UN petition on hopenhagen.org were included in this presentation.

While leaders still hash out negotiations around a climate deal, the will of the people was clearly heard. “People’s ambassador” David Kroodsma spoke of the honour and privilege of representing citizens of Hopenhagen and called on political leaders to seize the moment.

Euronews described it as “A rather more festive spirit compared to the violent scenes earlier in the day. But with the same message for the summit: save the planet.”

To see photos from Earth Hour Hopenhagen, go here.