One Hour, One Flip of a Switch, One Big Message - KCOY Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo - News

One Hour, One Flip of a Switch, One Big Message

03/24/10

CENTRAL COAST - At 8:30pm this Saturday, March 27th, people on the Central Coast and around the world are encouraged to participate in Earth Hour.

The event began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, and has quickly become the world's largest environmentally-focused communal effort.

That first year, more than two million homes and businesses turned off their lights for one hour, to highlight the threat of global climate change.

This Saturday, is your chance to participate in the fourth-annual event.

The mission is to turn-off your non-essential lights for just 60 minutes; the result is a global sustainability movement.

Last year, people in nearly 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries switched off lights, making Earth Hour 2009 the world's largest global climate change initiative. Global Landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the CN Town in Toronto, the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco, and Rome's Colosseum all stood in darkness. This year, buildings and landmarks around the world will be dark Saturday night.

This year, organizers from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) hope to get one billion people to participate in the one-hour event.

You can be a part of Earth Hour 2010 with just the flip of a switch; maybe even try lighting some candles for the hour and have family board game night, or a candle-lit dinner at home.

You are encouraged to participate on your own, or you can sign-up here on the Earth Hour website.