Earth Hour tonight: A turn-off here in Philly
It's tough getting people to go lights-out
Several years ago, the World Wildlife Fund proposed a way of drawing attention to climate change on our home planet. They group decided to call it Earth Hour, and the idea was that people all over the world would turn off all unnecessary lights at 8:30 p.m. local time on a particular day in March.
It started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off.
This year, tonight's the night!
It's grown worldwide, with 128 countries and territories joining in last year. Chicago has gone wild, turning off the lights on many iconic buildings.
But Philly? Apparently, it's been a tough sell.
For a while, a few buildings in Philadelphia participated. And a few isolated businesses, homes, whatever in the suburbs.
This year, I've heard little.
One lone event has made its way to my inbox, although it sounds like fun: The Ritz-Carlton is planning to turn off all exterior lighting and all non-essential public area lighting during Earth Hour. Lights will also be dimmed at the hotel's 10 Arts Bistro & Lounge. An in honor of the hour, the hotel will be offering a specialty cocktail, In the Dark, made with Finlandia Lime, muddled organic mint and lime, and a splash of Sprite.