On Saturday, March 29, 2008, individuals, businesses and local government officials in Atlanta will join millions of people in more than 20 major cities throughout the world in turning off non-essential lights from 8 – 9 p.m. local time in a powerful statement in support for action on climate change.

On this evening, Atlanta will be joining some of the most iconic skylines around the world to darken for one hour—Earth Hour. Other participating cities include Bangkok, Brisbane, Chicago, Copenhagen, Dublin, Manila, Ottawa, Phoenix, Tel Aviv, Toronto, San Francisco and Sydney. The goal of the event is to raise awareness of climate change and demonstrate how by working together, individuals can make a positive impact in the fight against this global issue.

The event is being organized by World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the largest multinational conservation organization in the world. Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin accepted WWF’s invitation to represent the Eastern Time Zone as an official participating sister for Earth Hour 2008 as a way to complement the recently launched “Sustainable Atlanta” environmental initiative.

“I call on citizens and business leaders across Atlanta to support Earth Hour,” said Mayor Franklin. “Once again, our great city will be a beacon of action and change for the rest of the world to see.”

As part of the event, residents, businesses and organizations are being asked to voluntarily turn off non-essential lights for one hour, 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm ET. Dozens of major landmark buildings in Downtown, Midtown, Atlantic Station and Buckhead will go dark in honor of the event--as will neighborhoods across the city.

Leading up to Saturday, March 29, WWF is working with a large cross-section of public and private entities to ensure their participation in the initiative. To help it plan and promote the event, WWF has partnered with Creaxion®, an Atlanta marketing firm.  Along with Mayor Franklin, Creaxion President and CEO Mark Pettit has been named honorary co-chair of Earth Hour Atlanta.

WWF is encouraging a broad range of individuals and organizations to help spread the word about this important initiative and is hoping to achieve extensive participation throughout the metro area. More information about Earth Hour and ways to get involved can be found at www.EarthHour.org.

For specific Atlanta inquiries about how to get your organization involved in this historic event, please contact Sunni Hickman / Creaxion at (404) 495-4442 or Sunni@creaxion.com.

A steering committee comprised of local business and civic leaders has been formed to ensure the success of Earth Hour Atlanta. The committee includes city officials, local police and fire departments, electrical utilities such as Georgia Power, and private and public organizations to coordinate logistics in Atlanta.

While there are no specific energy reduction targets for this year’s initiative in participating U.S. cities, Georgia Power will measure the drop in electricity use during the event, and will provide additional logistical support and assistance.

The event on March 29 is one step in ongoing efforts to fight climate change. To encourage longer term benefits, all participants are being asked to replace older light bulbs with highly-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs and to pledge to take actions to reduce energy consumption on a daily basis.

WWF’s corporate partners will not only pledge to turn off all non-essential lights, but will also identify ways to reduce energy usage, while broadly communicating their commitment.

WWF stresses the importance of celebrating Earth Hour in a safe and secure environment— and is asking people to turn off only non-essential lights for one hour. All lights impacting public safety will remain on, including street lights, and lights in public spaces, hospitals or emergency services remaining on for the duration of the event.

Earth Hour started last year in Sydney, Australia, when more than two million people and thousands of businesses turned out their lights. Power consumption dropped more than 10 percent in that single hour.  

“By taking part in Earth Hour 2008, Atlanta is sending a powerful message to the world that its citizens stand united with people across the globe in their concern about climate change and their commitment to finding solutions,” said Carter Roberts, president and CEO of WWF-US. “We are pleased that Atlanta has agreed to take part in Earth Hour as a demonstration of the city’s commitment to the environment and sustainability.”