Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier joins the Earth Hour movement this Saturday by turning the lights out for one hour on its world-famous Ferris wheel.
Only safety lighting will be functioning starting at 8:30 p.m., officials with the park said.
Earth Hour is the world's largest grassroots environmental movement. People are encouraged to turn off all their lights and unplug non-essential appliances and gadgets for one hour to conserve energy and commune with friends, family and nature.
Initiated in Sydney, Australia in 2007 as a campaign for action on climate change and to engage the mainstream population behind the issues facing the planet, Earth Hour since has swept the globe, drawing together hundreds of millions of people in 154 countries and territories spanning every continent.
Earth Hour states its mission is three-fold, "To bring people together through a symbolic hour-long event, inspire people into taking action beyond the hour and create an interconnected global community sharing the goal of a sustainable future for the planet."
"Pacific Park works hard to be a leader in our industry and community for green initiatives and sustainability. We look forward to participating each year in Earth Hour to help underscore our commitment to the environment," Jeff Klocke, vice president of marketing and administration at Pacific Park. "In addition to the world's only solar-powered Ferris wheel with energy-efficient LED lights, Pacific Park has replaced all light fixtures, provides employees with reusable bottles and mugs instead of bottled water and uses environmentally friendly cleaning products throughout the Park."
In 2010 Pacific Park was awarded Excellence in Stewardship of the Natural Environment at the 15th annual Sustainable Quality Awards presented by the city of Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce and the nonprofit Sustainable Works.
