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Health & Fitness

Girl Scouts Lead 2012 Earth Hour Initiative on March 31!

Join members of Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois in supporting Earth Hour by turning lights off from 8:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M. on Saturday, March 31, 2012.

Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois (GSNI) will join Girl Scouts nationwide as they celebrate Earth Hour (http://www.earthhour.org/). "Our girls are thrilled about participating in a meaningful global initiative that makes a positive impact on the environment," said Vicki Wright, GSNI CEO. “It’s also a significant lesson in teamwork and giving back to our community.” Members of GSNI will support Earth Hour by turning lights off from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 31, 2012.

Girl Scouts across the country are also taking activities beyond the hour by installing ENERGY STAR®-qualified or other energy-efficient light bulbs in homes, schools and businesses during the month of March.

The Earth Hour collaboration is one part of Girl Scouts’ broader commitment to environmental sustainability. Girl Scouts Forever Green (GSFG) (http://www.girlscouts.org/gsforevergreen/), the Girl Scouts’ 100th Anniversary Take Action Project, involves three key projects: 1) using reusable water bottles and bags to reduce plastic waste; 2) planting and maintaining rain gardens at schools, homes and other sites; and 3) participation in Earth Hour events and installing ENERGY STAR qualified or other energy-efficient light bulbs. Participants are also encouraged to take an online pledge (http://www.girlscouts.org/gsforevergreen/GSFG-Pledge.asp) stating their yearlong commitment to GSFG efforts.

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Earth Hour is a global initiative that invites individuals, businesses, governments and communities to turn off their lights for one hour – 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 31 – to show support for environmentally sustainable action. This year, Earth Hour is asking participants to go “Beyond the Hour” by committing to an action, big or small, that they will sustain for the future of our planet. In the United States, Earth Hour is partnering with the Girl Scouts to bring the movement to life.

Initially a single-city initiative in Sydney, Australia, in 2007, Earth Hour has become a global movement in which hundreds of millions of people from every continent join together to acknowledge the importance of protecting and improving the planet. Since its inception, Earth Hour’s iconic “lights out” event has seen some of the world’s most recognized landmarks switch off their lights, including the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Buckingham Palace in London, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and the Forbidden City in China.

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