Save the Environment... Ride in the Dark!

Tonight at 8:30 pm local time, World Wildlife Fund is asking individuals, businesses, governments and organizations around the world to turn off their lights for one hour.

They're calling it Earth Hour, and the goal is to make a global statement of concern about climate change and to demonstrate commitment to finding solutions.

Here's a great article on it.

I'm going to be shutting my lights off for an hour here in Washington, DC. I might even take my wife out for a dinner by candlelight at one of the Earth Hour participating restaurants in the area.

But if I were in Las Vegas, I would take advantage of New York-New York Hotel & Casino’s offer to ride "The Roller Coaster" (the former Manhattan Express).

I'll never understand why they changed the name... it's not like morons on the Strip wouldn't know Manhattan Express was a roller coaster.

Anyway, the hotel will be running “Dark Coaster” rides with all riders receiving a neon necklace between 8:30 – 9:30 p.m. It's a great way to show your support for the environment and get in a few bumpy coaster rides at the same time.

But if you can't make it to Las Vegas, I hope you'll join your buddy Mike Collins by sitting in the dark.

Talk about this in the CoasterRadio.com Forums

It's Easy Being Green

Kermit the Frog once sang that it's not easy "Being Green".

But it looks like theme parks are getting into the "green" spirit by taking on eco-friendly opportunities.

Six Flags Great Adventure recently announced that their 15-story park icon - The Big Wheel, is being completely refurbished for the 2009 season with 7, 824 new energy saving LED bulbs.

After these bulbs are installed, it will reduce approximately 8.5 million pounds of carbon emissions from the atmosphere.

It's amazing when you realize that this is equivalent to removing 72 cars from the road or planting more than 2,850 trees!

The new LED lights will also be part of an animated lighting display which includes chasing rim lights and the blooming of the ferris wheel's iconic flower petals.

Should be a sight to see! Kermit would be proud.