What will you be doing between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, 2008? The City of Phoenix is one of four major U.S. cities in the nation (Atlanta, San Francisco, and Chicago are the other three) participating in this international event.

Many buildings in Phoenix will go dark for that hour. Residents of Phoenix are encouraged to make a bold statement about climate change and how we can all save energy and, in turn, save our planet. How? By saving as much electricity as you can during that one hour. How do you do that? By turning off all non-essential equipment, appliances and lights that use electricity.

You are not being asked to unplug the refrigerator. But you could turn off all or most of your lights, not use the garage door opener, not watch TV, power down the computer, not brew coffee, and not use the oven or stove for that one hour. You could even unplug everything that is charging in your home. That means your wireless phone, your iPod, your toothbrush, the golf cart and your digital camera batteries.

Ten Things You Can Do In the Dark

1. Take a relaxing bath by candlelight.
2. Go for a walk with a flashlight. Look at the stars.
3. Play 20 questions or other games. You know -- games that don't require a board, pieces, or a computer.
4. Sit outside with your significant other or your family and talk. Make some plans. Career? College? Summer vacation? Just talk.
5. Play the guitar (or the piano or the harmonica or the kazoo) and sing. I know. Singing is hard while playing a kazoo.
6. Get a black light and hunt for scorpions.
7. Knit, crochet, quilt, paint or do something crafty by candlelight.
8. Read a book or magazine with a flashlight.
9. Got kids? Get out the camping gear, set up a tent and tell ghost stories or plan a few harmless April Fool's Day pranks.
10. Take this time to change out your light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs.

The first Earth Hour was held last year, 2007, in Sydney, Australia. In 2008, 27 cities are participating. Earth Hour is a project sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund to promote awareness of energy and how we can conserve it. You can learn more about Phoenix participation in Earth Hour.

What if you don't live within the confines of the City of Phoenix? Can you participate? Well, of course, although your contribution to the effort might not become part of the project statistics. The City of Mesa, for instance, is encouraging its residents to conserve during Earth Hour, and to make energy efficiency a priority at all times. Energy conservation, as well as water conservation, is critical for everyone.

One last thing -- If you use candles, be careful!