NHL Celebrates Earth Hour Tomorrow

Tomorrow (Saturday, March 23) at 8:30 PM, the National Hockey League and its 30 Clubs and associated venues will join hundreds of millions of homes and businesses worldwide, turning off non-essential lighting for one hour.

At the Air Canada Centre, for example, the work lights will be dimmed across the arena, and  concourse lighting on all levels will be reduced by 66 percent during Earth Hour. Exterior advertising and search lights will be turned off for the entire evening. Interior fans and pumps not needed for the event will also be shut off.

In Los Angeles, at AEG's STAPLES Center, the external marquee, façade lighting, sky trackers and non-egress lighting will be turned off. The Kings were one of the first NHL teams to support Earth Hour, back in 2008.

The New Jersey Devils will be shutting down the outside marquee video screen, as well as adjusting the building’s systems so the Prudential Center does not draw as much power during that timeframe. Prudential Center currently embraces a number of green energy-efficient initiatives including the use of biofuel oil, a state-of-the-art dehumidifying system and the donation of remaining food after arena events and hockey games.

How can you participate? It doesn’t take a lot to join in and make a significant impact. During the Vancouver Canucks’ 2011 Stanley Cup Playoff run, Canucks fans conserved energy simply by turning on the game and turning off the rest of their lights at home. The savings during just Game 7, against the Chicago Blackhawks, equaled the turning-off of 48 million light bulbs -- a 3.6 percent dip in electricity usage.

As these dedicated Canucks fans illustrated, watching hockey can be a powerful energy-saving activity that hockey fans can participate in every time they watch a game. According to EPA Energy Star, a simple task like turning off unnecessary lighting not only lessens your environmental footprint, but reduces your energy bills.

No matter where you’re watching, join the League, your favorite team, and a global community of millions and show your solidarity for the environment. Tune in to the game, turn off your lights, and support energy conservation year-round.

To learn more about WWF’s Earth Hour visit www.earthour.org