Tonight; Go Beyond the Hour!

The Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, Beijing's Forbidden City, and hundreds of other world landmarks will be abruptly blacked out Saturday night. But the 60-minute power outages—scheduled for 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., local time—won't be the results of a terrorist plot, natural disaster, or massive solar flare. They're all part of Earth Hour 2011.

 The organizers behind the fifth annual Earth Hour urge people to turn off lights and other nonessential appliances in a symbolic show of support for action against climate change and for energy conservation in general.
 
In 2010, 128 countries and territories took part in Earth Hour. Eighty-nine national capitals participated, as did nine of the world's ten biggest cities, thousands of other communities, countless businesses, and hundreds of millions of individuals, according to WWF, the international conservation nonprofit organisation, which organizes Earth Hour.

Earth Hour 2011 may be even larger, thanks in part to promotion by world leaders such as United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "Let us join together to celebrate this shared quest to protect the planet and ensure human well-being," Ban said in a statement. "Let us use 60 minutes of darkness to help the world see the light."

Earth Hour 2011 to Be Extended?
Earth Hour itself doesn't have a significant impact on actual energy consumption or greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to global warming. After all, even if electricity use stopped completely during Earth Hour, the event covers just 1 of the 8,766 hours in a year. Of course not everyone participates, and even in areas officially observing Earth Hour, plenty of essential lights and power-consuming appliances are left on.

But Earth Hour isn't about immediate energy impact, organizers say. Rather, it's about demonstrating commitment to change and serving as a jumping-off point for everyday actions. That's why this year's event introduces "Beyond the Hour" an effort to challenge Earth Hour 2011 participants to choose an action that will help the environment and implement it over the coming year. So far on the site people have pledged to recycle more, upgrade their light bulbs, ride bicycles, and give up meat, among other actions.



Source: National Geographic