A record Earth Hour is looming with more countries now signed up for the event than for last year’s globe-circling lights-out for climate action. 

There are (as of 5 March) more than 1,100 cities and towns signed up to switch their lights off at 8.30pm on 27 March - 100 more than at the same time last year. Among the participating cities are Athens, Bangkok, Cape Town, Delhi, Dubai, Geneva, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Manila, Moscow, Rome, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Tel Aviv and Toronto. Cities participating for the first time include Stockholm and Hiroshima.  Last year, nearly a billion people around the world participated, as lights dimmed on such global icons as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Sydney’s Opera House, and the Great Pyramids of Gaza.

Millions of Americans too will turn out their lights for one hour in support of action on climate change and toward creating a cleaner, safer and more secure future. 2010 marks the third year of the event, which attracted more than 80 million participants in the U.S. last year.

States officially participating in Earth Hour 2010 to date include Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin—triple the number that took part in 2009. Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, St. Louis, and Winston-Salem are among the cities taking part. The list of participating communities includes Huntsville, AL; Lansing, MI; Malibu, CA; Plainsboro, NJ; Portland, OR, Montgomery County, MD; Rochester, NY and Valparaiso, IN.

U.S. landmarks such as Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, St. Louis’ Gateway Arch, Sea World in Orlando, “The Strip” in Las Vegas, New York’s Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Washington D.C.’s National Cathedral, California’s Santa Monica Pier and the Space Needle in Seattle are among the hundreds of sites that will turn off non-essential lighting for the hour, in what is expected to be the largest-ever call to action on climate change.

“Earth Hour sends a message that it’s time for America to switch to a cleaner, safer and more secure future,” said WWF President and CEO Carter Roberts. “We expect tens of millions Americans all across the nation will take part because they care about our country, our planet and our future.”‪‪

Note to Editors:
Footage and photographs of Earth Hour 09 being observed are available upon request.

Photos and footage: https://www.myearthhour.org/news/for-media

Logos: https://www.myearthhour.org/tools

Earth Hour 2010 Video: https://www.myearthhour.org/earth-hour-video

Follow Earth Hour on twitter: www.Twitter.com/EarthHourUS

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ABOUT EARTH HOUR:
Since its inception three years ago, Earth Hour has captured the world’s imagination becoming a global phenomenon. Last year, for Earth Hour 2009 nearly one billion people in 4,100 cities in 87 countries on seven continents turned out. In the U.S. alone, 80 million Americans and 318 cities officially voted for action with their light switch. These people and municipalities were joined by iconic landmarks including: the Las Vegas Strip, the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings in New York City, the Space Needle in Seattle, Church of Latter-Day Saints Temple in Salt Lake City, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and the National Cathedral in Washington DC.  International landmarks that turned off their lights included the Great Pyramids of Giza, Parthenon in Athens, St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, Big Ben and Houses of Parliament in London, Paris’ Elysee Palace and Eiffel Tower, Beijing’s Birds Nest and Water Cube, Symphony of Lights in Hong Kong, Sydney’s Opera House and Christ de Redeemer status in Rio de Janeiro.