Hotels to turn off lights for an hour in support of 'Earth Hour'

Taipei, March 19 (CNA) Several hotel operators in Taiwan will turn off their lights in public areas for an hour on Saturday evening in support of the annual "Earth Hour," which aims to raise public awareness of environmental issues.

LDC Hotel & Resorts Group said in a statement that it is urging its hotels -- including Palais de Chine Hotel, Fleur de Chine Hotel in Sun Moon Lake, and Chateau de Chine Xinzhuang -- to join the global initiative.

Meanwhile, Chateau de Chine Hualien, which also belongs to the group, will extend the duration of its "lights out" until the next morning, totaling 9 hours, the group added.

The group said its hotels will also screen the environmental documentary "Melting Greenland" on the same day, and invite guests to turn off the lights in their rooms and enjoy the film together.

Meanwhile, Sheraton Hsinchu Hotel said in a statement that it has designated March as "environmental protection month," and has planned various eco-friendly activities for the weekends to help people learn how to incorporate environmental friendliness into their daily lives.

According to the official Earth Hour website, "Earth Hour 60" is recognized as the world's largest annual environmental grassroots movement. More than 192 countries and territories have previously taken part, along with more than 18,000 landmarks and millions of people.

The website showed that the actions of people in Taiwan last year successfully led to the reduction of 150,000 kilowatts of electricity consumption in the country, leading to a decrease of approximately 76,350 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions.

This reduction is equivalent to the carbon absorption of about 6,941 large trees over 20 years, a new record, according to the website.