A voluntary blackout that saw millions of people around the world shut off their lights during Earth Hour had real results in Edmonton, with the city dropping power consumption by 3 per cent.

Epcor's Michelle St-Amand said between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday Edmontonians used 1008 megawatt hours of electricity, a 31 megawatt hour reduction when compared to the same time last week.

The reduction works out to a 3 per cent drop, not quite as high as last year's Earth Hour results which saw a 5 per cent drop. However, Edmonton can celebrate one feat this year, beating Calgary's power drop of 0.5 per cent during the same hour.

While Edmonton's outcome wasn't monumental those who took part say it shows that people are taking climate change seriously.

"It just shows that we are part of a global movement towards being aware of how we can waste electricity," said Gail Hall, who gathered with other Edmontonians at Churchill Square Saturday night for an Earth Hour celebration.

"We turned off the lights and we aren't watching TV, which for me is really hard," said Kari Sorenson, who also took part.

Sorenson was one of hundreds of Edmonton who marked Earth Hour at Churchill square where a number of activities were held, including performances by fire dancers and singers, bannock making and a craft section for kids.

The City of Edmonton also did its part, shutting off all non-essential lighting in City Hall, Chancery Hall and Century Place.

Epcor says it can't confidently attribute the 3 per cent drop in power to Earth Hour because it is normal to see a variation of plus or minus 10 per cent when comparing weeks, if you factor in weather and number of daylight hours.

Earth Hour around the world

Earth Hour was first started by the WWF in Sydney, Australia in 2007 as a way to reduce power use and send a message about the dangers of climate change.

Since that first year, the one-hour, voluntary blackout has spread like wildfire. Organizers estimate more than one billion people in 126 countries participated in this year's event.

In Canada, the event attracts a number of participants that is unmatched by nearly any other occasion, according to Keith Stewart, WWF Canada's climate change director.

"In terms of participation, the only time you get more Canadians doing the same thing at the same time is watching the gold medal hockey game," Stewart told CTV News Channel Saturday. "We had over 10 million Canadians participate last year. The skylines do go significantly darker."

Traffic lights and safety measures are not affected by Earth Hour.

Many communities across the country held smaller-scale affairs, such as live acoustic music by candlelight at churches and coffee shops, and yoga by candlelight.

"It's about giving people a chance to make visible what's usually invisible," Stewart said. "And that's the desire for action on climate change and a willingness to be part of the solution."

Andy Riley, a WWF worker in Sydney who came up with the idea for Earth Hour, said he hoped this year's event would encourage world leaders to push for a stronger climate agreement than the one reached at the Copenhagen climate change summit last December.

That agreement failed to include binding rules on reducing the pollution that is blamed for global warming.

"What we're still looking for in this coming year is a global deal that encourages all countries to lower their emissions," Ridley told The Associated Press on Saturday.

"China is going to have to be a big part of that, but so is every other major economy."