Today, March 29, millions of people will be turning their lights off for one hour in order to show their commitment and support for a lower-emissions future. Between 8:30pm and 9:30pm local time, participants are to turn off all their lights and power down non-essential electronics as a statement against the wastefulness of modern society and a powerful visual symbol of the unity of everyday people against seemingly overwhelming environmental problems. Aside from residences, some national landmarks including the Gateway Arch and the Empire State Building will be turning off their lights as well in solidarity with the Earth Hour movement.
Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia in 2007, and has since grown to include over 7,000 participating cities and towns worldwide. The first international event took place in 2008, with 35 countries officially participating. The hour-long action is meant to serve as a symbolic reminder and commitment to reducing your carbon footprint in your everyday life, beyond Earth Hour and Earth day events.
This is a great reminder for all of us working in offices in City Hall and throughout Los Angeles to turn off our lights and computer workstations when we leave for the day or for the weekend, as possible. Mayor Garcetti reminds us that in addition to participating in Earth Hour this Saturday, we should also take a minute to power down devices when leaving work tonight!
For more information about Earth Hour and ways to get involved, please visit worldwildlife.org/pages/earth-hour