Earth Hour 2009: Going dark for an hour tonight
Saturday, March 28, 2009DENVER - From the Capitol building to the Qwest tower in Downtown Denver, several Colorado government offices and business will be in the dark for an hour Saturday night.
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From 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., residents across the world are encouraged to turn off any non-essential lights to raise awareness for climate change.
The campaign was created by the World Wildlife Fund and started in Sydney, Australia in 2007.
Across the world, famed landmarks in hundreds of cities will once again go dark for an hour.
Energy experts in Colorado say residents can do the same at home, by shutting off the TV or even going further and switching off an entire power strip.
"When you're not using your TV's or the whole entertainment center, or your whole computer system with the printers attached, which are all on a power strip, if you shut the power strip off, then you're saving that additional 5 to 10 percent over a lifetime," said Ravi Malhotra, executive director of iCast, the International Center for Appropriate & Sustainable Technology.
Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins are among dozens of cities participating in Colorado, along with many schools and restaurants.
For more information, visit www.earthhour.org.
Fort Collins Mayor Doug Hutchinson presented a Fort Collins “Earth Hour Day” proclamation to John Stokes, Director of the Natural Resources Department, on Tuesday at City Hall.
“I invite individuals, families and businesses in Fort Collins to recognize and support this tremendous local and global opportunity to participate in Earth Hour on March 28th at 8:30 pm, by turning out their lights and computers for an hour,” Hutchinson said. “Let’s continue our City’s tradition of innovation and environmental leadership in climate protection by using that hour as a contemplative catalyst to further reduce our carbon footprint and conserve energy.”
