By Kari Lydersen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 30, 2008

CHICAGO, March 29 -- Skylines around the world went dim Saturday night, as if someone had flicked a giant switch, in celebration of Earth Hour, a symbolic hour of darkness to remind people of the need to combat global warming.

The World Wildlife Fund orchestrated the event, based on last year's popular Earth Hour in Sydney, Australia.

"The main point is not to make a significant dent in climate change, but to demonstrate the need for people to take leadership on their own to address this problem," said Richard Moss, the fund's vice president for climate change. "It's not about sitting in the dark, it's about making a serious commitment over the next year and beyond over how we contribute to climate change."

More than 30 localities across the United States, including Virginia's Arlington County, were expected to participate.

Chicago, often touted by Mayor Richard M. Daley as a "green city," was the first U.S. city to sign up, and almost every major downtown building, including the Sears Tower, agreed to turn off their lights.

The floodlights illuminating the Michael Jordan statue outside the United Center went dark, although the lights stayed on inside as the Chicago Bulls played the Milwaukee Bucks. Wrigley Field turned off its famous marquee. The John Hancock Center observatory was plunged into darkness as guests got a lesson in energy-efficient technology.

Many buildings, including the John Hancock, used the evening to permanently swap hundreds of incandescent light bulbs for efficient compact fluorescent ones.

The Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers planned to cut its lights but to provide glowing ice cubes for drinks in the candlelit lobby. Many venues were serving organic beer, wine and vodka, and the Allerton Hotel offered a menu that required neither electricity nor heat for the dishes.

Tracey Quinn, a 28-year-old philanthropic consultant in Chicago, was planning to host her sister's surprise bachelorette party by candlelight.

"Once you've been through a couple bachelorette parties, they're not very different from one another," she said. "So we thought this would be kind of cool."

Stephanie Weyrick, a steel company consultant in Peoria, Ill., held a BYOC -- "bring your own candle" -- party for friends. She and her husband plan to continue their own electricity-free hours at least once a month. She takes her commitment to a green lifestyle so seriously that she is planning a "green funeral" for herself when the time comes.

"It's gone by pretty fast," Weyrick, 42, said of the hour, while the lights were still out. "At first, people were like, 'C'mon, can't we have some music or something,' but then they got into it."