Earth Hour Counts Down

First we had Earth Day (April 22 next year). Now we have Earth Hour where for 60 minutes on March 29, cities around the world will shut off non-essential lighting for 60 minutes.

 The idea was hatched by the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) launched in Sydney, Australia last year. WWF claims more than 240,000 people have signed up to support this year’s switch-off which starts at 8:00 local time in Christchurch, New Zealand moves west with the sun. Check out the video.

Some 74 cities in the U.S. have signed up to do it, according to the WWF meaning that, for instance, the lights on the Golden Gate and Bay bridges will kill their lights for an hour, according to a Time story reprinted on the WWF site..

Even if it is gimmickry, the idea is great for the symbolism given that the average American spews out 20 tons of greenhouse gases every year.