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Bay Area Goes Dark To Mark Earth Hour

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) -- The Bay Area joined major cities across the planet and dimmed the lights Saturday to mark Earth Hour, a global effort to raise awareness of environmental issues.

Earth Hour, and annual tradition, was launched in 2007 by the World Wildlife Fund.

In the western states, landmarks such as San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, and the Space Needle in Seattle joined in.

Even the Las Vegas Strip casinos dimmed some of their lights. MGM , Caesars and the Las Vegas Sands turned off non-essential lights for an hour at 8:30 p.m.

Earth Hour begins in in New Zealand and sweeps through each time zone for 24 hours. International landmarks participating this year include the Sydney Opera House, St. Peter's Basilica and the Eiffel Tower.

© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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