LANSING – The Michigan House of Representatives today passed a plan proposed by State Representative Rebekah Warren (D-Ann Arbor) which encourages Michigan residents to participate in Earth Hour 2009, an internationally recognized event that calls for participants to voluntarily forgo nonessential electricity from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 28.
"Now more than ever, we must educate our communities about climate change and
its alarming impact on our precious natural resources," Warren said. "Earth Hour provides a forum for such education
and, perhaps more importantly, shows our citizens the power behind their collective action."
Started in Sydney, Australia, in 2007 by the World Wide Fund for Nature/World
Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour 2009 aims to have 1 billion people switch off their lights for an hour in an effort to bring
attention to the threat of global climate change and the importance of slowing our unsustainable rate of energy
consumption. Along with the cities of Ann Arbor and Detroit, 2,712 cities, towns and municipalities in 84 countries have
already taken the pledge.
In 2008, more than 400 cities, thousands of businesses and over 50 million
people around the world participated in the event. Global landmarks including the Sydney Opera House, Bangkok's Wat Arun
Buddhist temple, the Coliseum in Rome, Stockholm's Royal Castle, London's City Hall, New York's Empire State Building,
the Sears Tower in Chicago, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Coca-Cola's famous billboard in Times Square
all stood dark.
"Ultimately, we are facing a global crisis that demands each and every one of
us to come together and find a solution," Warren said. "I have sponsored this resolution to raise awareness around this
issue and to highlight the necessity of a comprehensive energy policy that promotes energy efficiency and the use of
renewable resources."
For more information about this resolution, please contact Rep. Warren's
office at (517) 373-2577 or rebekahwarren@house.mi.gov, or visit her Web
site at http://warren.housedems.com/.