Today Special : Earth Hour
All we need is at least an hour to make our environment better, and Earth Hour, which is observed annually on the last Saturday of March, provides that. Earth Hour was created by the World Wide Fund for Nature (W.W.F.) and is held annually, encouraging individuals, communities, and businesses to turn off non-essential electric lights, for one hour, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m, as a symbol of commitment to the planet.
HISTORY OF EARTH HOUR
Earth Hour was created to actively involve each of us in the fight against climate change, and started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia, in 2007. Earth Hour is now a worldwide event, encouraging everyone to turn off non-essential electric lights for an hour between 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on the last Saturday of March.
In 2004, World Wide Fund for Nature (W.W.F.) Australia, met with advertising agency Leo Burnett Sydney to discuss ideas for engaging Australians on the issue of climate change. However, the idea for a large-scale off switch wasn’t coined until 2006, under the title ‘The Big Flick.’ In 2007, with the backing of Fairfax Media along with Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore, Earth Hour was held on March 31 in Sydney, Australia at 7:30 p.m., local time.
In 2008, Earth Hour 2008 was held internationally on March 29 from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. local time, and had 35 countries around the world participating, and over 400 cities in support. Landmarks around the world turned off their non-essential lighting for Earth Hour, and even Google’s homepage went dark on the day. Participating countries and cities experienced a vast reduction in megawatt-hours and carbon dioxide reduction.
Occasionally, in years when Holy Saturday falls on the last Saturday of March, or other cultural activities are observed, Earth Hour is moved a week earlier than its usual date. Ever since 2008, multiple nations and people have participated, growing this event into one of the world’s largest grassroots movements for the environment.
Millions of people around the world switch off their lights to show they care about the future of our planet, and joining Earth Hour’s switch off reminds us that even small actions can make a big difference.
HISTORY OF EARTH HOUR
Earth Hour was created to actively involve each of us in the fight against climate change, and started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia, in 2007. Earth Hour is now a worldwide event, encouraging everyone to turn off non-essential electric lights for an hour between 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on the last Saturday of March.
In 2004, World Wide Fund for Nature (W.W.F.) Australia, met with advertising agency Leo Burnett Sydney to discuss ideas for engaging Australians on the issue of climate change. However, the idea for a large-scale off switch wasn’t coined until 2006, under the title ‘The Big Flick.’ In 2007, with the backing of Fairfax Media along with Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore, Earth Hour was held on March 31 in Sydney, Australia at 7:30 p.m., local time.
In 2008, Earth Hour 2008 was held internationally on March 29 from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. local time, and had 35 countries around the world participating, and over 400 cities in support. Landmarks around the world turned off their non-essential lighting for Earth Hour, and even Google’s homepage went dark on the day. Participating countries and cities experienced a vast reduction in megawatt-hours and carbon dioxide reduction.
Occasionally, in years when Holy Saturday falls on the last Saturday of March, or other cultural activities are observed, Earth Hour is moved a week earlier than its usual date. Ever since 2008, multiple nations and people have participated, growing this event into one of the world’s largest grassroots movements for the environment.
Millions of people around the world switch off their lights to show they care about the future of our planet, and joining Earth Hour’s switch off reminds us that even small actions can make a big difference.
HOW TO OBSERVE EARTH HOUR
- Switch off : The best way to participate in Earth Hour is by switching off. Switch off all non-essential electric appliances, devices, and switches for an hour, typically between 8:30 to 9:30 pm Standard Time. Join in the fight to make our environment better.
- Get the Footprint app : W.W.F. invented an app called Footprint that pushes us to make small but impactful decisions to save the environment. The app contains several challenges that suit you, to make small changes in your own life that add up to something bigger. Download the app and start a challenge today.
- Spread awareness : Raise and spread awareness on our current environmental issues. Take to your socials to spread the word and educate others about Earth Hour. You can inspire a few more people to take the next step to cater to our environment and home — the Earth.
5 FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT
- That’s too many trees : Around 27,000 trees are cut down each day just to produce toilet paper.
- Cows harm the environment : A single cow can release between 200 and 400 pounds of methane gas through burps and farts each year, which is 20 times more powerful than carbon dioxide gas.
- There is a lot of oil in our oceans : About five million tons of oil produced in the world end up in oceans every year.
- We don’t have many forests left : Less than 4% of American forests remain today.
- We have little usable water : Only 1% of the world’s water supply is usable, 97% are the oceans and 2% are frozen.
WHY EARTH HOUR IS IMPORTANT
- The Earth is our home : The Earth is the only place we can all call home, and without it, we cannot exist. Therefore, Earth Hour is important in encouraging us to protect our home.
- The environment is dying : Natural disasters, pandemics, and global warming are key signs that show our environment needs our help. With the steady increase in global warming rates, we need to straighten up and do all we can to improve our environment’s health.
- It’s a collective effort : Earth Hour involves every human being and doesn’t leave the responsibilities to a few. This lets us know it takes a collective effort to make a big change, and we can all do our parts to make it better.
