When the first light-off took place in Sydney, Australia in 2007, no one could have believed that this WWF (World Wildlife Federation) sponsored movement against global warming will go global. The next year, Earth Hour had become a worldwide observation with more than 50 million people from 35 countries taking part in it. What it involved was darkness. Earth Hour is a movement wherein willing participants switch off lights and electrical appliances for an hour, starting at 8:30 pm local time, on 28 March every year. The event’s main aim is to support strategies and bring legislation changes that will keep global warming at bay and stop climate change; all this through the power of crowd and unity.
Last year, the participation number shot up to 7,000 cities in 152 countries. The Hour sees support via participation from major landmarks around the world, such as the Great Pyramids, the Empire State Building, Sydney Opera House, Toronto’s CN Tower and the Las Vegas Strip, to name a few. Even Google homepage went “dark” for an hour, switching from the usual white background to black, to symbolically show support to Earth Hour. Although the event is a one-hour gig, its main propaganda goes beyond that. The idea is to inspire people to reduce everyday energy consumption by doing simple things. Here are a few things you could do to support Earth Hour throughout the year and contribute in saving the planet:
• Turn off lights, heaters and ACs in rooms, that are not being used at the moment,
• Switch to using energy-efficient CFL and LED lights,
• Turn of electrical appliances when not in use,
• Don’t use hot water unless it is winter or really cold,
Be a part of Earth Hour this year and every year on 28 March from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time. You know what to do. Spread the word. Use Your Power to save the planet.
