Chicago’s Willis Tower Photo Courtesy of Equity Office
March 24 is the 12th annual Earth Hour, when many citizens, corporations and organizations throughout the world will switch off their lights for 60 minutes.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the organization behind the movement, iconic US landmarks, including the Empire State Building, the Space Needle, the Willis Tower and many of the bright lights of the Las Vegas strip will participate, providing a stunning visual backdrop for this crucial call to action.
The organization’s site states:
Earth Hour 2018 comes at a critical moment. After the United States announced its intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement—the world’s first truly global plan to address climate change—more than 2,600 leaders across America’s cities, states, companies and universities stepped up to say they are still committed to meeting America’s climate goals.
“The world has shown it’s ready to tackle the climate crisis. In the United States, a new generation of leaders has taken up the banner of climate action,” said Lou Leonard, senior vice president for climate and energy at World Wildlife Fund. “These leaders herald from America’s state houses, city halls, board rooms and college campuses. And this Earth Hour, these leaders are uniting with Americans from all walks of life to build a more renewable, prosperous future.”
Willis Tower, the iconic Chicago skyscraper that is just one participant in Earth Hour, has embraced energy efficiency recently. Originally built in 1973, the 110-story building is undergoing extensive upgrades and infrastructure retrofits. They include retrofitting the HVAC, adding motion sensors, putting lighting control panels in tenant areas, and switching to LED fixtures. A complete upgrade of the building automation system is expected to provide better temperature control, HVAC sequencing, and energy monitoring.
Starting as a symbolic lights out event in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour is now the world’s largest grassroots movement for the environment, inspiring millions of people to take action for our planet and nature.
The 3rd Annual Environmental Leader & Energy Manager Conference takes place May 15 – 17, 2018 in Denver. Learn more here.