Earth Hour 2010: a call for action on climate change

At 8:30 p.m. (local time) on Saturday, March 27, businesses and consumers will turn off their lights for one hour, joining people around the globe to show support for protecting our natural resources. Led by the World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour has grown into an annual global phenomenon. Each year, individuals, organizations, businesses, and state and local governments turn off lights in homes, workplaces and at iconic landmarks, including in the U.S., Mount Rushmore, Empire State Building, large chunks of the Las Vegas Strip and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.

Nearly one billion people turned out for Earth Hour 2009 – involving 4,100 cities in 87 countries on seven continents. In the U.S., 80 million Americans and 318 cities went dark.

Here’s what Toronto looked like before and after.

Credit: © Billy Ivy / Ivy Images / WWF-Canada

“Climate change is real and it’s happening right now in the US, impacting our water resources, energy supplies, transportation, agriculture and health, putting our livelihoods and economic future at risk in every part of the country,” said WWF Climate Director Keya Chatterjee. “Earth Hour is a way for people across the US to join together with people from throughout the world to signal their concern about climate change and send a message about the urgent need for action.”

Join the movement and spread the word. Then begin thinking of all the fun you can have in the dark!