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JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI -- Gov. Jay Nixon announced Friday that the State Capitol dome will go dark for one hour on March 27 to remind Missourians of the little things everyone can do to conserve energy – and save money.

This year, Missouri will join 18 other states in observing Earth Hour, sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund, an event in which millions of Americans will turn out their lights to promote energy conservation.   During Earth Hour, which is observed at 8:30 p.m. (local time) on Saturday, March 27, numerous public buildings, monuments and other landmarks will dim their lights for one hour.  More than 80 million Americans participated last year, along with nearly a billion people around the world.

Other Missouri buildings and landmarks participating this year include the Gateway Arch, Busch Stadium, Soldiers’ Memorial and St. Louis City Hall.  Around the country, other participants include Sea World in Orlando, “The Strip” in Las Vegas, New York’s Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Washington D.C.’s National Cathedral, California’s Santa Monica Pier and the Space Needle in Seattle. 

“When it comes to conserving energy and saving money, big changes start with small steps—like turning off the lights,” Gov. Nixon said. “Last year, I ordered government departments to reduce their energy consumption by 2 percent a year for 10 years. In the first year alone, we’ve cut our energy bill by more than 6 percent. During Earth Hour 2010, we’ll turn off the lights on our Capitol dome for one hour as a clear reminder of the simple steps we can all take to make a real difference. And even after we turn the lights back on, my administration will continue to work diligently to save energy—and taxpayer dollars—for the people of Missouri.”

Missouri is one of a record 19 states across the U.S. that will dim their lights for Earth Hour 2010, with more expected to join the global movement in the coming weeks. Other participating states include: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Gov. Nixon’s Executive Order on energy conservation is No. 09-18.