Earth Hour

By: Sandra Kahn

Every year, over 100 million people participate in an event called Earth Hour. It is known as a worldwide movement to encourage households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30pm  to 9:30pm. Yet many of these people actually don't know why or how Earth Hour came to be.

It first started out in Sydney, Australia, when World Wide fund for Nature (WWF) met with an advertising agent to discuss on ways to engage Australians on the issue of climate change. They presented their concept of having an annual event to switch off all the lights in households and businesses to the mayor of Sydney. When the proposal was agreed, they began spreading the word, to hopefully get as much people to join in. The first ever Earth Hour was held on March 31, 2007 at 7:30 pm.

The purpose of Earth Hour is to raise awareness of global issues, particularly in regard to our overuse of non-renewable resources, resultant light, and air pollution.

This event got so much attention that by 2008, 35 countries were participating in this global movement to help solve climate change. Many famous landmarks around the world took part of this event, including The Empire State Building (New York City), Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco), and even the Mall of Asia (Manila). More and more people join in this global movement because when a small act is done in a big number, it causes great outcomes.

By working together, we can all make a change. Earth Hour is a unique opportunity for you to become more sustainable and do something positive for the environment. It’s been the source of inspiration for millions of people taking steps towards a cleaner, safer future. It’s not just about saving energy for one hour, it’s about going Beyond the Hour with lasting, behaviour-changing actions for a sustainable planet." - Earth Hour Website

And lastly, what can you do during the Earth hour? You can use up this important hour by having a candle-lit dinner with your family, turn on your flashlights and have a puppet show, or simply have a night-time stroll. Just because the lights will be switched off, it doesn't mean you can't spend quality time with the people you love.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Hour

http://earthhour.wwf.org.uk/earth-hour/

http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_purpose_of_Earth_Hour