What is Earth Hour?
Earth Hour is global symbolic event organised by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) annually in March to encourage individuals, businesses, governments and organisations to turn off non-essential electrical lights to show support for our planet.
When did Earth Hour first take place?
Earth Hour started for the first time as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007 by WWF on March 31st at 7:30pm. The idea originated a few years before that however from a meeting WWF had with Leo Burnett advertising agency in 2004 to explore ideas of how to engage Australians in climate change. The idea of a large switch off then came about in 2006 and gain support from the media as well as from Sydney’s mayor of that time.
The following year in 2008 the event was held internationally on March 29th from 8pm to 9pm with over 35 countries from around the world participating and over 400 cities.
Why is Earth Hour so important?
Even if it might feel like a small change, joining Earth Hour is a great way of taking a moment to reflect on climate change issues we are facing and what can we do in our daily lives to become more sustainable as well as showing our commitment to the cause and encouraging leaders and organisations to take actions that can help combat the negative effects of climate change.
Does Earth Hour make a difference?
Short answer is YES! One hour might not feel like a lot however a study done in 2014 by Energy Research and Social Science observed that the events reduced consumption of electricity by 4%. Since then many more people have joined the cause and that number is likely even higher. However the biggest impact Earth Hour has is to encourage governments, organisations and individuals to engage in solutions for environmental challenges.
When will Earth Hour 2022 take place?
Earth Hour 2022 will take place on 26th of March at 8:30pm. Join millions of people from around the world showing their support for the environment by switching off their homes.
How can you take part in Earth Hour?
There are 3 great ways of taking part in Earth Hour:
- Switch off all your non-essential electrical home lights and appliances such as TV for one hour on 26th of March at 8:30pm alongside millions of people from around the world. You can always use your favourite candles for a bit of light.
- Take further action by reflecting on the improvements that can be made to day-to-day life to become even more sustainable.
- Share with others that you are taking part in Earth Day beforehand to raise awareness of the event and encourage others to participate. There are also a lot of challenges taking place online through the #EarthHour hashtag.