Feb. 26, 2009 - Boulder announces official participation in World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour 2009

Contact:
Beth Powell, ClimateSmart, Office of Environmental Affairs, 303-441-1846
Jodie Carroll, Media Relations, 303-441-3155
www.bouldercolorado.gov/
www.beclimatesmart.com
www.boulderearthhour.com

The City of Boulder announced today that it will officially participate in Earth Hour 2009, a global climate event led by the World Wildlife Fund. More than 405 cities around the world have already committed to go dark for one hour at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, as millions of people from all corners of the world unite in a call for global action on climate change.

From Amman, Jordan to Warsaw, Poland, city skylines will go dark for one hour as individuals, businesses, government buildings, schools and major landmarks turn off non-essential lighting in what will be the largest climate event in history. The list of participating cities in the U.S. includes Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami and Nashville, Tenn., and more cities are signing up every day.

Non-essential lights in all City of Boulder-owned buildings and facilities will be turned off during Earth Hour. Public schools, commercial and residential buildings, and local businesses will be encouraged to ‘flip the switch' as well.

The City of Boulder has estimated that if all Boulder households and businesses went dark for one hour, carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by 18 metric tons. This is equivalent to the average Boulder household's entire carbon footprint for a year. To extend the impact of this event, community members are also asked to replace at least three old light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, and/or pledge to take one action this year to reduce their carbon footprint.

Local events are being planned by the St. Julien Hotel, ReSource, and ClimateSmart neighborhood groups for climate action. Businesses open during Earth Hour, community groups, and residents are encouraged to join an existing event or create their own. Visit www.boulderearthhour.com for an updated list of local planned events and to add event details. Alternative modes of travel to all events is encouraged - try biking, walking or riding the bus.

Background:
During Earth Hour 2008, more than 50 million people in 400 cities on all seven continents turned off their lights as major icons also went dark, including the Sydney Opera House, the Coliseum in Rome, Stockholm's Royal Castle, the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Google turned its homepage black for an entire day in tribute. Visit www.earthhourus.org and www.boulderearthhour.com for more information.

--CITY--

Last Updated on Monday, 24 August 2009 15:17