Earth Hour to Darken Lights at Penn State and in State College

Penn State will shut off the exterior lights at Old Main and decorative lighting at some other campus landmarks late Saturday, the university announced.

The hour-long power-off effort, to begin at 8:30 p.m., will be part of the global Earth Hour 2011. The international call to action, in its fifth year, is designed to be a symbolic effort against climate change.

State College Mayor Elizabeth Goreham has signed a proclamation endorsing Earth Hour in the borough, as well. The proclamation encourages borough residents to turn off their residential lights for the hour.

At Penn State, ‘we feel it is symbolically important to join in this worldwide effort to show the effect that many people, working together, can have on climate change,’ university Assistant Vice President Steve Maruszewski said in a news release.

Decorative lights at the Lion Shrine, the Nittany Lion Inn and the Information Sciences and Technology Building will be among those shut off at University Park. The university has encouraged students, faculty members, staff and local businesses to join the effort, too.

An ongoing Penn State campaign encourages university workers and students to turn off unneeded lights and equipment every day at noon.

More than 2,700 cities in 83 countries are expected to participate in Earth Hour, which is sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund.

Related coverage

• StateCollege.com’s Penn State news page