Following a path of environmentally conscious cities across the world, the lights in Los Angeles at more than 150 government buildings, company offices, churches, restaurants and hotels went dark for an hour, starting at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
The voluntary rolling blackouts culminated a global Earth Hour campaign aimed at bringing attention to energy usage and its effect on climate change.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa led a lights-out ceremony at Nokia Plaza-L.A. Live downtown. Other area landmarks that participated in the dimming included City Hall, the Getty Center, the Griffith Park Observatory, the Capitol Records Tower and the Santa Monica Pier. Some restaurants served dinner by candlelight for the hour.
More than 100 cities in the U.S. and 1,800 cities around the world participated in the Earth Hour campaign coordinated by World Wildlife Fund.
-- Larry Gordon
