On Saturday night between 8:30 and 9:30pm, Harrah’s and Harveys Lake Tahoe, along with sister property Harrah’s Reno, will darken all non-essential lighting in support of the World Wildlife Fund’s annual Earth Hour events.

More than 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries worldwide are expected to switch off their lights for Earth Hour to send a message for action on climate change.

Harveys and Harrah's will go dark one hour March 31. Photo/LTN file

More than eight years ago, Caesars Entertainment Corporation – Harrah’s and Harveys parent company – formalized its commitment to the environment and sustainability under the banner of CodeGreen.

In the area of energy savings, Harrah’s and Harveys Lake Tahoe have converted nearly 60 percent of all incandescent lighting to energy efficient, CFL and LED lighting throughout the properties in just a little more than two years time.

Recently installed LED external signage at Harrah’s and Harveys is reducing energy consumption by thousands of kilowatt hours per day, realizing a savings of more than $165,000 annually. Additional, dramatic reductions in energy use were recently accomplished with the installation of a state-of-the-art chiller system for cooling water, which also created dramatic cost savings.

In all, the savings in 2011 reached approximately 17 million kilowatt hours, enough electricity saved to power 1,560 residences for one year. This amount translates into $1.7 million is cost savings.