Earth Hour

Yasmin sent this note, as a reminder to mark your calendar...

On March 28, 2009 at 8:30 p.m., join millions of individuals, governments, businesses, and other organizations around the world in celebrating Earth Hour by turning off your lights for one hour in a symbolic action to bring attention to climate change.

This simple act is intended to deliver a strong message about the need to implement immediate solutions to what is believed to be the greatest threat our human species has ever faced. Switching off lights for one hour will unite us in a commitment to stop climate change.

If every household in New Jersey turned off the lights for one hour, New Jersey would save 500 MW of electricity and $1.8 million in electricity costs. In addition, during that same hour we could avoid emitting 230 metric tons of carbon dioxide which is equivalent to planting 5,815 trees or taking 15,151 cars off the road for one day.

Earth Hour began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia with 2.2 million homes and businesses shutting off their lights for one hour. In 2008, this event became a global sustainability movement with about 50 million people in 35 countries participating.

Landmarks such as San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, Rome’s Coliseum and the Times Square billboard all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent every hour.

This year, organizers hope that over 1 billion people in 1,000 cities around the world will participate in this awareness event. Well-known landmarks will dim their lights, including: the world’s tallest hotel building in Dubai - the Burj Dubai, Toronto’s CN Tower, Moscow's Federation Tower, Australia’s Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower and Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, and Table Mountain in Cape Town.

In the United States, the National Education Association, representing 3.2 million teachers and education professionals pledged its support, as did the 1.4 million-strong American Federation of Teachers. You can do your part to put Pennsylvania on this map.

We can do this in fun ways by going star watching with our kids, having a candlelight dinner at home with family and friends, throwing a neighborhood block party, or doing something more with your town and local businesses to encourage them to shut off non-essential lighting.

For more information, please visit: http://www.earthhour.org/about.