Embracing Earth Hour

March 20, 2023

Five Facts About Earth Hour
  1. Earth Hour is more about rebuilding connection than just switching off. It’s a moment when local and global communities unite and switch off their lights to show they care about the future of our planet – our one shared home.
  2. Desperate times lead to creative solutions. In 2020, Earth Hour went fully digital for the first time due to the pandemic inspiring many people to connect online through digital events and live streams during the hour.
  3. Earth Hour is helping to tackle deforestation. The world’s first ‘Earth Hour Forest’ was launched by WWF Uganda in East Africa as part of their Earth Hour 2013 campaign to restore 2,700 hectares of degraded land.
  4. Spider-Man was the first superhero to become a global ambassador for Earth Hour in 2014, bringing much-needed attention and global outreach to the movement.
  5. Earth Hour made it all the way to space. In 2015, Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti joined the digital Earth Hour movement from space while floating inside the International Space Station.

​What started in 2007 as a voluntary ‘lights out’ energy conservation movement in Sydney, Australia, has become a global grassroots Earth Hour movement organized by the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) that inspires people around the globe to take action on environmental issues.

While Earth Hour is reserved for the last Saturday in March, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., the event is truly more of a continuous effort dedicated to enhancing global awareness for our planet. Every year, several hundred million people take part in this international celebration.

In accordance with the Earth Hour theme, all citizens, businesses and communities are asked to turn off non-essential lights for one hour to signify their commitment to the planet.

How to Participate

The goal of the Earth Hour project goes far beyond just one hour out of every year – it’s designed to inspire communities to get involved in making every day, environmentally-focused changes to better the Earth.

Here are some quick ideas to kickstart your Earth Hour on March 25:

  • Put your phone on do not disturb and enjoy some down time to yourself.
  • Enjoy a candlelit meal with your friends and family.
  • Raise money for WWF or another environmentally focused cause that is meaningful to you.
  • Listen to an educational podcast or watch a documentary with a sustainability focus.
  • Collect, separate and prepare household items for composting or recycling.
  • Make a conscious effort to use less water during your shower or dish washing time.
  • Sign-up for a future volunteer event, such as a tree planting or pollinator project in your area.

More information on ways to get involved in this effort is available on the Earth Hour website.

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