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EPA Region 4 to Turn Out the Lights for Earth Hour

Release Date: 03/28/2008
Contact Information: Brian Gross, (404) 562-8604, gross.brian@epa.gov

(Atlanta, Ga -- March 28, 2008) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the General Services Administration will voluntarily turn off the lights at the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center on Saturday, March 29, 2008 to conserve energy and raise awareness of global climate change.

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin accepted an invitation to represent the Eastern Time Zone in “Earth Hour 2008”, an initiative of the World Wildlife Fund which will be celebrated around the world. Atlanta will join Chicago, San Francisco, Phoenix, and nearly 200 other cities worldwide in turning off non-essential lights from 8:00 pm until 9:00 pm ET. The inaugural Earth Hour was held in Sydney, Australia in 2007.

Residents, businesses, and organizations are turning off their lights in order to reduce energy consumption. The average US citizen’s power consumption measures nearly 20 tons of carbon emissions per person per year.

Earth Hour is meant to be celebrated safely. Streetlights, hospitals, emergency services and any lights necessary for public safety will be operating as usual.

Further information on Earth Hour 2008 can be found at http://www3.earthhourus.org.