2009 News

March 23, 2009

County Joins Doylestown Borough to “Turn Out the Lights”
Non-Essential County Facilities to Recognize Earth Hour, 8:30 p.m., March 28

Three years ago, in an effort to raise awareness about the threat of global warming, the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) initiated “Earth Hour.” The event, which began in Australia and has expanded rapidly across the globe, involved the turning off of lights for one hour. This year’s recognition, which is slated for 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, will include non-essential facilities within Bucks County government, including the Courthouse and other county buildings within Doylestown Borough. For public safety reasons, the county parking garage will be excluded from participation.

“We are excited to join more than 1,500 government agencies around the world in switching off our lights in support of Earth Hour,” Bucks County Commissioner Chairman Charles H. Martin notes. “This is another way we can show our commitment to protecting our environment, which is an important part of our stewardship and the continued efforts of our Bucks Employees Green Initiative (BEGIN) committee.”

According to county Chief Operating Officer David M. Sanko and Director of Operations Gerald Anderson, Bucks is pleased to respond to Doylestown Borough’s invitation and request to participate in Earth Hour 2009. Last year, more than 50 million people participated in Earth Hour. Lights were shuttered on the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and the Coliseum in Rome. A list of cities committed to take part in this month’s event include London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Mexico City, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Hong Kong and Atlanta.

What constitutes “non-essential” or “unnecessary” lighting? “It’s really an individual definition,” explains Stan Stubbe, the president of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Lighting Council. “Whatever you think (individually or as an organization) is non-essential is what we are asking you to turn off.” Commissioners encourage all Bucks Countians to participate in their own way.

For more information about Earth Hour and how to lend your support to the movement, please visit the Web site, www.earthhourus.org. To learn more about the Pennsylvania Outdoor Lighting Council, please go to www.polcouncil.org.