Lights Out at Many Travel Sites on Saturday for Earth Hour
March 26, 2009
More than 2,000 cities around world are expected to participate in Earth Hour, a coordinated event that aims to draw attention to climate change and global warming. According to MSNBC, the lights are scheduled to go out at hundreds of tourist landmarks and buildings in cities across the world, including New York, London, Paris, Dubai, Hong Kong, Moscow and Nairobi.
Earth Hour is organized by the World Wildlife Fund and is scheduled to take place from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, March 28. It will beginning in Fiji and follow time zones around the globe. To date, 2,848 cities, towns and municipalities in 84 countries have committed to take part in turning out the lights. Organizers are hoping that 1 billion people will switch off their lights as part of a global vote for the Earth.
In New York City, the lights will dim at Broadway theaters, Rockefeller Center, the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building and the United Nations Headquarters. The lights also will go off at the Great Pyramids of Giza, Niagara Falls, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Chicago’s Sears Tower, the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center and the Eiffel Tower and the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.
Some airports and hotels also are taking part. The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto will illuminate its indoor pool area with more than 100 floating candles according to MSNBC. Los Angeles International Airport will illuminate the airport entrance in green for 60 minutes before Earth Hour and then be turned off completely for the event.
Las Vegas plans to hand out 5,000 green glow-in-the-dark necklaces and air a video about Earth Hour. Casinos’ will shut of their marquees and bright lights on the Strip for the full hour.
The lights go out at 8:30 p.m. local time on Saturday. NTA wants to know if your destination or attraction will be turning off the lights. Please e-mail NTA Public Relations Manager Sara Spencer at sara.spencer@NTAstaff.com to tell NTA how you will be observing Earth Hour.
