HP Sez: Turn off the lights!

Actually, OK, so it's not REALLY Hewlett-Packard's shindig. BUT, the company HAS been chosen by the World Wildlife Fund as "the official U.S. technology partner" for Earth Hour. The event, which is scheduled for Saturday, March 29, 2008, at 8 p.m. local time in various participating cities encourage all local residents to turn off their lights for up to one hour. There are 15 cities in 10 countries that plan to comply.

"It's 8 p.m. Are your lights on?"

HP will play its part by promoting the event to all of its worldwide employees and shutting down its own facilities at the appointed hour and by providing technology to help run the events in the four U.S. cities that will play a role: Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco, to be politically, alphabetically correct.

At a larger level, HP is part of the World Wildlife Fund's Climate Savers program, through which it has pledged to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions created by its office, manufacturing plants and other facilities by 15 percent below 2006 levels by the 2010 timeframe.