The Las Vegas Strip will soon be going dark, and the reason is to help Mother Nature. In just two months, Las Vegas will participate in a global movement known as “Earth Hour,” all in an effort to raise awareness regarding climate change and global warming.
Mayor Oscar Goodman’s initial response was full of doubt when the folks from the World Wildlife Fund told him they wanted Las Vegas to go dark during Earth Hour, a global event that calls attention to climate change.
“I said you’re out of your minds. There’s no way in the world that any of these casinos are going to turn their lights out,” says Goodman.
Earth Hour, started several years ago in Australia, has grown into a global event. This year on March 28 at 8:30 pm, when the lights go out for an entire hour, Las Vegas will lead more than 240 cities from 70 different countries.
“We know that you all are at the cutting edge of these issues because you understand the need to conserve our natural resources and the impact if we don’t take the necessary actions to save our planet. We knew saving the planet wasn’t a job for wimps (and) this is a way of telling the whole world that we are something other than just a tourist destination - we are a city that cares about those of us who live here,” continues Mayor Goodman.
Besides the Strip going dark, organizers hope the rest of Las Vegas will do their part and flick the switch to help save the environment.
“Hopefully the folks that live in the area will turn off their lights for that hour as well. We all have a responsibility to step up to the plate and do something about it,” says Goodman.
The last time the Strip and downtown Las Vegas went dark was in 1998, in honor of the late Frank Sinatra. This time when the lights go out in Sin City, organizers hope it will be a rebirth and a new beginning of people taking action to help the environment.
“By turning off the lights people can say yes, I am worried about this issue. I’m concerned about this issue. I want to leave the planet in good shape for my children and their children.”
If you would like to participate in Earth Hour, just simply turn off all of your lights on March 28, 2009, from 8:30 to 9:30 pm.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.