Hundreds of millions of people around the world will be participating in Earth Hour 2010 on Saturday, March 27^th at 8:30pm local time by turning off the lights for one hour. Organized by the World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour is meant to bring awareness to the issue of climate change and encourage people to make steps towards a sustainable future.

I learned that our world headquarters in New Brunswick, New Jersey is once again participating in Earth Hour by turning off all non-essential lighting. In 1999, Johnson & Johnson became a founding member of WWF Climate Savers and committed to reduce CO2 emissions from facilities worldwide by 7%, in absolute terms, by 2010, compared to 1990. You can find out more about the company’s environmental goals and performance here.

Since finding out about Earth Hour, I’ve been thinking about my own energy consumption. At my house, we have solar panels which supplement our heating system and use compact fluorescent light bulbs in our lighting fixtures. Since I tend to be online and plugged in during most of my waking hours, I know there is much more that I can do to reduce my own energy use. I am committed to turning off the lights, and my laptop, on Saturday night and plan to sit outside on my back porch to enjoy the darkness.