What Can You Do For the Earth in Just One Hour?
What can you do in an hour? You can roast a chicken, bake a cake, and you can help save the planet by participating in activities that you love to do, one hour at a time.
Earth Hour, the largest grassroots environmental organization, will be held on Saturday March 23, 2024 and it will be the biggest and best year ever. That’s because the organization has stepped things up to create an event that everyone can join.
The Lights-Off movement
Earth Hour began in Sydney Australia in 2007 and was the brainchild of the World Wide Fund (WWF), according to National Today. The organization was looking for a way to connect people to caring for the planet in the face of climate change. The event, originally called “The Big Flick” encouraged people to turn off non-essential lights for an hour.
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In 2008, Earth Hour went global with 35 countries and over 400 cities participating. Landmarks around the world went dark, people lit candles, and celebrated the Earth. There was a large reduction in megawatt hours and carbon emissions in the places that participated.
Earth Hour falls on the last Saturday of the month, unless that day is Holy Saturday when it is moved back a week; like this year. While the landmarks and buildings go dark, there is a myriad of things that governments, businesses, organizations, and individuals can do to help save the planet.
Give an Hour for the Earth
The organization is revamping its Hour Bank this year according to a blog on the Earth Hour website. This new interactive tool offers simple and fun Give an Hour activities that range from food to fitness to entertainment.
The activities can be as easy as taking a nature walk, starting a community garden, or even posting global warming facts on social media. These Activities are based on the participants lifestyle and preferences.
This makes participating in Earth Hour a way to do more than just switching off lights. People can do something they love while doing good for the planet.
In 2023, over 410,000 hours were given to the planet by people in 190 countries. This represents over 90 percent of the world.
Getting the word out
Getting more people involved is essential in meeting the Paris climate goals. “More people than ever need to join this year’s Earth Hour to leverage the collective power of individuals and communities. It’s crucial to get involved, if we want to raise awareness about the environmental challenges and bend the curve of biodiversity loss by 2030, Kirsten Schuijt, director general, WWF International said in the blog.
“To truly unite millions across the globe, it is important that Earth Hour expands beyond its already massive pool of current supporters and engages with individuals who have not been involved yet. Protecting our planet is a shared responsibility and it demands collective action from every corner of society, “ she said.
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In Manilla, the capital of the Philippines, mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan announced a partnership between the city and WWF around the theme of “Switch off Plastic Pollution, Give an Hour for Earth,” reported the Manilla Bulletin. The aim is for a 100 percent reduction of plastic waste leakage in the city by 2030.
“Let us always remember that Earth Hour is more than just how much energy is saved when we switch off our lights for one hour. This is more than that. This is about inspiring people to unite for our Mother Earth and stand against the destruction of the environment and climate change,” Lacuna-Pangan told the Bulletin.
Earth Hour is more than just a movement; it has been the inspiration for people around the world to get involved and help the planet. You can too! So switch off electric lights and give an hour to the Earth on March 23.
