FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. -- Across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, 30 Bosch facilities turned off the lights for one hour on March 28 at 8:30 p.m. local time in recognition of World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) Earth Hour 2009. Earth Hour is a global initiative of the WWF, where individuals, businesses and governments turn off their lights for one hour to show support for action on climate change. Amongst others, Bosch's facilities in Farmington Hills and Plymouth, Mich. went dark for 60 minutes. The Bosch Group global headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, participated in WWF's Earth Hour 2008.

Globally, Bosch is committed to environmental stewardship through its site practices and product development. The Bosch Group has established a target of decreasing CO2 emissions among its worldwide manufacturing operations by at least 25 percent against 2007 levels by 2020. In addition to participating in Earth Hour 2009, Bosch has partnered with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (www.wbcsd.org), a coalition of companies dedicated to pursuing sustainable growth. In 2008, the company joined the Chicago Climate Exchange and committed to reducing direct greenhouse gas emissions at its US operations by six percent by 2010, compared to a baseline from the year 2000.

"In the U.S., Bosch is working diligently to create more effective energy and sustainability practices," said John Mirsky, vice president, technical and engineering services, Robert Bosch LLC. "We encourage all associates to participate in environmentally-responsible practices in the office, including recycling and energy conservation."

"In addition to implementing eco-conscious measures within our sites, Bosch continues to develop energy-efficient technologies, even in the difficult times we currently face," said Peter Marks, chairman, president and CEO, Robert Bosch LLC. "For the past two years, more than 40 percent of our R&D was directed at products that help protect the environment and conserve natural resources."

Ecology is one of the pillars of Bosch's success and has been a key driver for many product innovations, not only automotive powertrain technology, but systems utilizing renewable energies - from gearboxes for wind turbines to ground source heat pumps, and from solar collectors to photovoltaics.