Lights Out Tonight at 8:30!

Tonight at 8:30pm, you have the opportunity to make your voice hear around the globe. No matter where you live on planet Earth, at 8:30pm please turn off your lights to join the world for Earth Hour.

Dubbed the world's first global election, between Earth and global warming, Earth Hour sends a very powerful message that we are serious about ending global warming. Everyone has the opportunity to vote simply by switching off their lights for one hour. How simple is that?

Earth Hour started in Sydney, Australia in 2007 when 2.2 million homes and businesses turned off their lights for one hour. In 2008, Earth Hour had grown into a global sustainability movement and 50 million people switched off their lights. Landmarks around the globe went dark for one hour, including the Golden Gate Bridge, Rome's Colosseum and the Sydney Opera House. Here in Chicago, we kept 840,000 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere and in Toronto, there was an 8.7% reduction in energy use.

The goal of Earth Hour 2009 is to have 1 billion people switch off their lights. The results from this year's Earth Hour will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen later this year. This important meeting is where official government policies will be determined to take action against global warming. These policies will ultimately replace the Kyoto Protocol.

Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to Vote Earth during Earth Hour 2009. We all have a vote, so please use yours to help the cause. We are all in this together and we must take action now so that future generations will have a place to call home. Please spread the word about Earth Hour and Vote Earth so that everyone you know will cast their vote tonight for this great global cause.