The City of Farmington Hills will affirm its commitment to environmental responsibility by participating in Earth Hour 2011.  All non-essential indoor and outdoor lighting on City-owned property will be turned off from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. on the night of Saturday, March 26.

The Farmington Hills Special Services Division has planned a special “One Starry Night” event to recognize Earth Hour on Saturday, March 26 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Nature Discovery Center in Heritage Park.  Families will explore the cosmos, learn about light pollution, and create a star wheel with representatives from Project Darksky and the Warren Astronomical Society.  The event is for ages 3 and older, and the fee is $5 per person.  Registration is available online at recreg.fhgov.com or in person at the Costick Center, 28600 W. Eleven Mile Road, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Earth Hour is an international event sponsored by the World Wildlife Federation.  The worldwide initiative is designed to express global solidarity in the commitment to controlling climate change.  Earth Hour 2011 will take place at 8:30 p.m. local time in more than 80 countries, including the United States.  Major U.S. cities that are participating include Washington, D.C., Chicago, New York, and Las Vegas.

Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. The now-global sustainability movement has an estimated 1 billion supporters in 4,100 cities from 87 countries will join in turning off their lights for Earth Hour 2011. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Coliseum, the Sydney Opera House, and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square will all stand in darkness.

For more information about Earth Hour, visit earthhourus.org.