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Earth Hour Raises Awareness For Climate Change

Luxor light
By Stephen Witherden (http://flickr.com/photos/swit012/331649735/) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Earth Hour aims to educate people about climate change.

Numerous hotels and casinos on the Las Vegas Strip will go dark this Saturday as part of the ninth annual commemoration of Earth Hour.

Earth Hour, held between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. local time worldwide, is a project from the World Wildlife Fund to highlight energy consumption and efforts to combat climate change. It encourages businesses and homeowners to turn out their lights for an hour to reduce electricity loads.

"Earth Hour is really a symbolic event where people can signal their support for action on climate change, and standing with people all around the world who are also calling for the same thing," Lou Leonard, the World Wildlife Fund's vice president for climate change, told KNPR's State of Nevada. "It's less about the energy we conserve in that hour, and it's more about standing up and standing together, and saying we want to do something about climate change."

Leonard said Las Vegas' high international profile helps bring more attention to Earth Hour.

"I think Las Vegas is one of those places the world knows," he said. "And the world knows it both as a place where people, you know, have a good time and can really celebrate a lot of different things in their lives, but also a place that's known for its lights. Having the Strip -- so many of the resorts and casinos on the Strip participating -- I think it sends a real signal."

Lou Leonard, vice president for Climate Change, World Wildlife Fund

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Casey Morell is the coordinating producer of Nevada Public Radio's flagship broadcast State of Nevada and one of the station's midday newscast announcers. (He's also been interviewed by Jimmy Fallon, whatever that's worth.)