Landmarks Locally, Worldwide Go Dark For 'Earth Hour'
By Kristen Johanson
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Go dark to go green -- that's what city buildings all around the world did for one hour Saturday.
The intention of "Earth Hour" is to raise awareness about climate change. It encourages people to turn off lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in each time zone around the world.
World monuments like the Effle Tower and the London Eye went dark, but many buildings in Philadelphia stayed lit. Cathy Engel Menedez, spokeswoman for PECO, says the utility did turn off the colorful lights atop its Market Street building to show its commitment to the environment:
"In addition to celebrating Earth Hour, we are certainly encouraging our customers to check out all of the energy saving programs we have to offer to help save energy and then when you use less energy, you save money on your monthly electric bill."
The World Wildlife Fund started the campaign in 2007 with over 170 countries participating.
Lights at the Ritz Carlton Hotel and Verizon buildings in Pennsylvania and were also dimmed.