Earth Hour 2015 to be Observed this Saturday

The BMW Welt in Munich has been a notable participant in the Earth Hour program over the years

Earth Hour 2015 will take place on Saturday evening across the globe. It will be observed from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time.

Since its start in 2007, the observance has grown to over 7,000 cities and towns worldwide as well as thousands of companies.

Many landmarks including Buckingham Palace, the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge, Mount Rushmore, Niagara Falls, the Sydney Opera House, and hotels and casinos along the Las Vegas Strip have turned off their lights in observance in recent years.

Large corporations participate as well. BMW has traditionally turned off interior and exterior lights at its four-cylinder headquarters building and neighboring BMW Museum in Munich in recent years, as well as the exterior lighting at the BMW Welt.

In the course of Earth Hour observances, many cities have seen significant reductions in power consumption – some as high as 13%. Other observances include Earth Hour concerts (the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in Sydney, Rootz Underground in Jamaica), as well as stargazing, which is greatly facilitated by the reduction in light pollution.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)