When the city lights dim this Saturday night, don’t think Nicolas Cage has finally succeeded in starting the 'end of days' with his seemingly endless stream of movies about the apocalypse. In fact, this blackout is much more entertaining!  On March 28th, 8:30pm your local time, the world will ring in its annual celebration of Earth Hour.  Cities and towns across the world will be switching off their non-essential lights for exactly one hour.  Why?  To promote awareness of climate change! 

Created by the World Wildlife Fund in 2007, Earth Hour involves cities, towns, and municipalities across 82 countries. In 2008, an estimated 50 million participated in the event, bringing a four percentage point increase in awareness of environmental issues. And this year, over 2,140 communities are expected to participate.  Cynics may crow that it doesn’t really save much energy, but that’s not what the event is about.  It is about learning that yes, our world needs to treat climate change as a serious issue. 

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon urges everyone to participate.  “Earth Hour is a way for the citizens of the world to send a clear message. They want action on climate change,” said Secretary-General Ban during a recent press conference. Accordingly, the United Nations will be dimming lights in their New York City headquarters and across the world. 
 
And it’s not just the U.N. that will be going dark.  Among others, world icons like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Las Vegas Strip, Paris’ Notre Dame, Stockholm Castle, the Gateway Arch of St. Louis, the National Cathedral of Washington, D.C., the Sydney Opera House, Table Mountain of South Africa, and Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro will also be darkening in solidarity.  The Great Pyramids of Giza and the Acropolis of Greece have just been added to the list.  Across the U.S., cities like New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and more will be dimming their skylines. 

So besides turning off your own lights, how can you participate in Earth Hour?  Sign up here to learn more for your specific location. Get your kids in on the action. Download the Earth Hour Trainer for your iPhone.

And check out our round-up of five major participating cities. 

Los Angeles
Los Angeles will be dimming the Capitol Records Tower, the Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel, El Capitan Theater, the Griffith Observatory and more.  A public celebration will be held at L.A. Live with notables like Kevin Bacon, Isabella Rossellini, the Los Angeles Kings, and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.  Local students and musicians will perform as part of the Life Drum Core from the HeArt Project.  Los Angeles schools will compete as to who can collect the most waste in that one hour.  And 60oneminutes.org will be taking one-minute movie submissions that highlight Earth Hour.

And best of all?  Los Angeles will Dine by Candlelight.  This is where participating restaurants will serve dinner by candlelight in honor of Earth Hour.  Supported by OpenTable.com, this is your chance to relax by candlelight over a tasty meal.  Participating restaurants include Simon LA
Chaya Venice, Ciudad, and the Border Grill.

Atlanta
Buildings set to darken in Atlanta include Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, George Power Headquarters, Bank of America Plaza, Concourse Office Park, The Pinnacle and more.  The Atlantic Hawks and Thrashers will also be supporting Earth Hour.  And make your way over to George Tech for a cool blackout party.

New York City
New York will be dimming landmarks like the Empire State Building, the CocaCola billboard in Time Square, 7 World Trade Center, and the New York Public Library.  Actor Ed Norton is New York’s ambassador to the project, along with Nobel Prize Laurite Archbishop Desmond Tutu, actress Janeane Garofalo, Alanis Moriessette, Coldplay, Wynonna Judd and more.

San Francisco
Structures that will be dimming their lights are the Golden Gate Bridge, Landmark Building, One Market, Golden Gateway Commons, Embarcadero Center West, Citicorp Center, Folger Building, and more.

And there are a ton of events going on. You can plant 60 trees in 60 minutes in the Presidio.  You can climb the Bank of America stairs for the American Lung Associate with Mayor Gavin Newsom and his Earth Hour Team.  You can take a walking tour with Garden for the Environment at 7th Avenue and Lawton Street.  Or you can clean up Japantown with the Department of Public Works.

Chicago
Last year, over 2.7 million Chicagoland residents dimmed their lights to honor Earth Hour.  This year, the city is working to beat that number.  Sears Tower, Hancock Center, North Michigan Avenue, Navy Pier, the Museum Campus, Millennium Park, the Theater District and more will all go dark again this year. 

Anywhere: To promote awareness, you can stamp your emails with this logo to keep the word bright…or in this case, dark.