Even though the CT Whale will be playing, the XL Center in Hartford will go dark on Saturday night to participate in Earth Hour, a global effort to increase energy conversation.
For the third-straight year, 35 venues affiliated with California-based AEG will shut off their lights at 8:30 p.m. EST for one hour to show that the smallest measures can conserve great amounts of energy. This Earth Hour event was started by the World Wildlife Fund in 2007 in Australia and spread to 128 countries.
The XL Center’s participation this year is problematic since the CT Whale is posed to play Bridgeport Sound at 7 p.m. Saturday. To accommodate both commitment, the XL Center will shut off regular lights and its outdoor marquee from 8:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday and run emergency lights only. An Earth Hour educational video will play during the game and public address announcements will be made as the teams play.
The XL Center is the only AEG venue in New England to participate in Earth Hour. The Best Buy Theater in New York City will go dark as well. Previous high-profile shutdowns during Earth Hour include the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the Coco Cola billboard in New York’s Times Square.
