On Saturday the residents, businesses and organizations will turn on the lights as a sign that the individuals can help make a difference in climate change.

According to the local media, the lights will be turned off at the Golden Gate Bridge and the deserted island prison of Alcatraz between 8 and 9 pm.

"It's a very simple message," organizer Nate Tyler told the San Francisco Chronicle. "It's very clear. If everyone turns off their lights for an hour, it can make a real difference. And if they want to turn the lights off for longer that evening, we're into that, too."

It’s the first time when such an event is taking place in the US and the organizers are already planning a national campaign that calls for voluntary brownouts on March 29 in 15 major American cities, including New York and Las Vegas. Los Angeles announced is planning to participate in the lights-out exercise.

State officials believe that if every California household replaced five incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions at levels equivalent to taking 400,000 cars off the road.