Santa Monica Pier's world-famous Ferris wheel to go ‘Dark’ for Earth Hour 2017

Standing 130 feet over the Pacific Ocean, the iconic Ferris wheel in Santa Monica, Calif., joins world-famous landmarks including the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Parthenon at the Acropolis in Greece, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in London, and the Great Wall of China, among others at 8:30 p.m. local time on March 25

SANTA MONICA, Calif., (March 21, 2017) — Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier joins Earth Hour in its “Shine A Light On Climate Action #ChangeClimateChange” campaign as the world-famous Pacific Wheel Ferris wheel, will go “Dark” except for the wheel rim safety lighting, from 8:30-9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 25. The Pacific Wheel is the world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel.
In 2017, WWF and Earth Hour teams around the world will be using the movement to shine a light on the climate issue most relevant in their country or region. In Europe, as the European Union negotiates on crucial climate and energy policy for the period leading up to 2030, WWF will use the Donate Your Feed platform to mobilize public support- and their Facebook posts – to call for a clean, renewable energy future for all. In Brazil, people will be invited to join forces to protect one of the country’s many biodiversity hotspots from climate change while citizens in South Africa will raise their voice for renewable energy and in China, WWF is working with businesses to encourage a shift toward sustainable lifestyles.
“From Europe to Brazil to China, we can all make an impact from a global to local scale. In Santa Monica, Pacific Park is home to the world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel and each year we look forward to participating in Earth Hour to further demonstrate our support for climate awareness and action,” said Jeff Klocke, Vice President and General Manager at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier. “We work hard to be a leader in our community and industry for sustainability and green initiatives to help our environment.”
Starting in 2007 as a single-city event, Earth Hour is now celebrated across all continents. In the past decade, as global climate efforts gained momentum, Earth Hour has helped bridge the gap between the grassroots and the corridors of power, taking climate action from conference rooms to living rooms. It has empowered millions to support and participate in critical climate and conservation projects led by WWF and many others, helping drive climate policy, awareness and action.
From the shores of Argentina where Earth Hour helped mobilize public support for the creation of a 3.4 million hectare-wide marine protected area, to the heart of Uganda where local communities and businesses helped create the first Earth Hour forest, the movement’s impact has been a game-changer for popularizing climate action.
Through its own grassroots efforts, Pacific Park received the “Excellence in Stewardship of the Natural Environment” award at the 15th annual Sustainable Quality Awards presented by the City of Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce and the nonprofit Sustainable Works.
Standing 130 feet above the Pacific Ocean, the Pacific Wheel’s 174,000 LED lights are mounted on the Ferris wheel’s structure including the 40 spokes and two hubs. The world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel’s lighting system features 16.7 million color value combinations while the new programming and display software upgrades increase imaging to 24 frames per second to display dynamic, custom, computer-generated lighting entertainment. The eco-friendly, enhanced LED lighting provides 81 percent greater energy savings than most Ferris wheel’s traditional incandescent bulbs.
The nine-story tall Pacific Wheel Ferris wheel first debuted in May 1996 with the opening of Pacific Park and was adapted as the world’s first solar-powered Ferris wheel in November 1998.
Pacific Park also introduced the world’s first wind-powered amusement park game, the High Striker, in October 2011. All components of the High Striker were completely wind-powered including the chaser lights with more than 100 bulbs, multiple spotlights and sound system.
Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier, LA’s only admission free amusement park, offers 12 amusement rides, 14 midway games, an oceanfront food plaza and retail beach shops. In addition to the world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel, the Pacific Wheel, Pacific Park’s signature rides include The West Coaster, a steel roller coaster that races 55 feet above the Santa Monica Bay; and Inkie’s Air Lift Balloon Ride, the high-flying, family-sharing kids’ ride. For additional information and hours of operation, call 310-260-8744, visit www.pacpark.com, follow on Twitter: @pacpark and Like at Facebook: facebook.com/pacificpark.