Earth Hour, Saturday, March 28th, 8:30-9:30

Earth Hour is coming up this Saturday and I think it's a great opportunity for you, your family, your workplace, or your favorite restaurant to participate in a fun, practical, and symbolic environmental gesture! A great way to raise some awareness in your community regarding energy savings. The idea is to turn off your lights and non-essential electrical appliances for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30pm (in your own time zone). Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.

Twin Cities Green (my shop) is closed at 7:00, but we'll be sure to turn off ALL of our lights overnight. At home, I plan on having a lights out event at home. We'll light up some soy candles and maybe play some games. One of the best lights out games to play is Sardines! Love it!

Here in the Twin Cities, a couple of young environmentalists have heeded the call to organize a grass roots effort to get the word out about "Earth Hour." They're calling their movement "Lights Out Twin Cities." Join their Facebook page here. They're doing a great job too... they already have a great list of participating buildings in downtown Minneapolis. Check it out:

225 South Sixth
5th St. Towers
50 South Sixth
701 Building
Accenture Tower
Campbell Mithun Tower
City of Minneapolis
Hennepin County Library Central
Hennepin County Government Center Plaza
Hennepin County Century Plaza
Hennepin County Environmental Services Building
Hennepin County Family Justice Center
Hennepin County Juvenile Justice Center
IDS Center
Retek on the Mall
Target Corporate Offices
US Bancorp Center
US Bank Plaza
Wells Fargo Center
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Center
Xcel Energy- Nicollet Mall
And more coming!!!