Earth Hour

On Saturday, March 28, 2009, at 8:30 pm, I invite everyone around the world to take part in what promises to be an inspiring event in the fight against climate change—Earth Hour, sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

By simply turning out all non-essential lighting for one hour at our offices, facilities and homes around the world on March 28, we will join tens of millions of concerned citizens and corporations throughout the world in calling for action to protect our planet for future generations. This is fundamental and our responsibility to take care of our planet and its ability to sustain human health.

More than 50 million people in 400 cities around the world took part in Earth Hour 2008. The lights went out at Sydney’s Opera House, Rome’s Coliseum, the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge. Even the Google homepage went dark for the day. Many major corporations took part including HP, Coca-Cola, and Morgan Stanley.

This year, Earth Hour promises to be even bigger. In the US, many cities have already pledged to participate including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco…with more signing up daily. They will join international cities such as Beijing, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, London, Manila, Mexico City, Rome, and Toronto. You can learn more about Earth Hour and download promotional materials at WWF websites http://www.earthhour.org/ (worldwide) and http://www.earthhourus.org/ (United States).

To fulfill this goal, we must protect the environments in which we work and live. A healthy planet and a healthy community go hand in hand. I hope you will join us on Saturday, March 28 in the call for action against climate change.