The city of Las Vegas along with other local government agencies and businesses including many major hotel/casinos have signed on to flick the switch and celebrate Earth Hour 2009, a global effort organized by the World Wildlife Fund.

On Saturday, March 28, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Las Vegas will be one of 240 cities in 70 countries as individuals, businesses, government buildings, schools and major landmarks turn off non-essential lighting in what will be the largest climate event in history.

Las Vegas was selected by the World Wildlife Fund as an official flagship city and joins other U.S. flagship cities including Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville and San Francisco. Globally, the list of Earth Hour cities including Auckland, Beijing, Bogota, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dubai, Edinburgh, Helsinki, Istanbul, Hong Kong and Vancouver with more expected to sign on.

All residents and businesses are encouraged to join in the effort and be creative with their efforts. If you own a restaurant, host a candlelight dinner, or plan a candlelit game night for your family instead of a night with video games.

For more information on Earth Hour, including a list of participants, the official Earth Hour Video and links to various Earth Hour resources including Facebook and Twitter pages, visit the Earth Hour Las Vegas Web site at www.earthhourlv.org .