The City of Ann Arbor encourages residents and businesses to voluntarily observe a world-wide “Earth Hour” and turn off unnecessary lights on Saturday, March 26, 2011 from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Participating residents and businesses may officially sign up for this effort at
www.earthhour.org by pledging to turn off lights for one hour. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, lighting accounts for roughly 22 percent of U.S. electricity consumption and is a significant contributor to our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Street lights along one block of Main Street will be turned off during Earth Hour as a demonstration of Ann Arbor’s commitment to fighting greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, in addition to practicing year-round energy conservation at municipal buildings and street fixtures. However, for public safety, other street lights and traffic lights will not be turned off during the Earth Hour observation. Ann Arbor is a leader in the development of energy-efficient light emitting diode (LED) street lighting, which has reduced municipal energy use and significantly reduced light pollution. Municipal facilities will observe “lights out” procedures for non-essential illumination during this hour.
Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia in 2007 as a one-city environmental campaign and has grown into a grassroots initiative with participants across the globe. In 2008 Ann Arbor joined 371 cities in 35 countries to participate in Earth Hour.
According to Ann Arbor mayor John Hieftje, “Participating in the global Earth Hour demonstrates Ann Arbor’s commitment to supporting energy-efficient practices to reduce our reliance on foreign oil and help reverse the effects of climate change.”
Ann Arbor businesses and residents wishing to display an Earth Hour flyer in their windows to show their support for this event may download the poster attached to this Web page. Additional ideas on organizing your own Earth Hour event and posters, visit www.earthhour.org/action. More information on the city’s energy goals is available at www.a2gov.org/energy.