Hey, Whatcha Doin’ This Saturday Night?

Topics in this article

Earth Hour Wanna turn off the lights? Seriously. Everybody’s doing it.

Maybe I should explain.

Back in 2007 the city of Sydney, Australia, started something called “Earth Hour.” On a specified night at a specified time, 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for an hour. They did it to show that our energy resources are limited, that our decisions matter, and that our actions can make a difference – not just for an hour, of course, but all the time.

People all over the world paid attention.

In 2008, 50 million people switched off their lights for an hour worldwide. Global landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and Rome’s Colosseum stood in darkness.

This year we’ll see (or not see, depending on how you look at it) even more landmarks and people flicking the switch in solidarity. The Acropolis? Dark for Earth Hour. The Empire State building? Dark. The Sphinx and Great Pyramids of Giza? Lights out for them as well.

Edward Norton is the US ambassodor for Earth Hour. He recently discussed it with Larry King in this video:

As of March 12, 1,189 cities and towns across 80 countries were committed to going dark for an hour. To keep up with how Earth Hour is progressing, you can follow @EarthHour on Twitter, or keep up with Earth Hour tweets by following this Earth Hour search on Twitter. Also, if you’re compelled to share Earth Hour-related videos, you can share your YouTube videos to this Earth Hour group.

So, the question is “What will you be doing this Saturday night, March 28, at 8:30?” Well, here at Dell and ReGeneration.org we’re encouraging people to be home with their lights out – or out watching their city’s skyline go dark. We’re even going dark in Dell facilities around the world. 

We also want to encourage you to support our friends at Climate Savers Computing Initiative by pledging to set power management on your computer (yes, you can still use your computer during Earth Hour if you must – just do it with your power management set, OK?).

So, what do you say? Wanna turn off the lights this Saturday?

About the Author: Dane Parker

Topics in this article