Shut Off the Lights This Saturday to Support the Planet

A little goes a long way. And when it comes to tackling the climate crisis, every little bit does in fact help.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) hopes to spread that message on Saturday, March 28, with Earth Hour 2009. For just one hour (at 8:30 p.m. your local time), millions of people, businesses, and organizations around the world will send their message of support for climate change action by turning off their lights and other power sources.

Last year’s event had more than 50 million participants, including about 400 cities on all seven continents. Such landmarks as the Sears Tower in Chicago, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Coliseum in Rome, and the Sydney Opera House went dark.

To sign up, log onto www.earthhourus.org. If you are interested in getting co-workers, community groups, or your city to take part, the site offers tool kits to help you through the process. Participants are encouraged to turn off non-essential lighting, which may include computers, decorative lights, TVs, overhead lighting, and outdoor lighting that is not needed for safety reasons.

Through your support of Earth Hour 2009, the WWF says it plans to show government officials that action is needed to solve the climate crisis and that people all over the world have united to demand attention for this important global issue.