The annual event asks people to give up an hour of their day by switching off any non-essential electric lights as a symbol of commitment to our planet. This year the event will be held at 8.30pm on Saturday the 22nd of March. 

Earth Hour began as a collaboration between WWF Australia and the advertising agency, Leo Burnett Sydney. The original aim of the event was to draw attention to the climate emergency and to encourage Australians to get involved with climate action. The first event was held on the 31st of March 2007 in Sydney and was the inspiration for the first international Earth Hour held on the 29th of March 2008.  

The first Earth Hour saw 50 million people across 35 countries turn off their lights, including major landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge and the Colosseum. Since then, the event has continued to grow.  

In 2023, they rebranded themselves as the ‘Biggest Hour for Earth’ and have switched their focus from just turning off the lights for the hour to encouraging community action. They are encouraging people to switch off their lights and to pledge an hour of their time to fighting the climate crisis. That year’s event saw 410,000 hours of planet-positive activities pledged as part of the ‘Hour Bank’. 

So, how can you get involved? 

You can give your hour for Earth at any point, not just at 8.30pm on Saturday. There are many ways that you can get involved from activities in the home to getting out and about with friends and family. 

You could plan an outdoor adventure that lets you reconnect with nature. Go for a walk in a local park or in the countryside and take note of the different plants and animals that cross your path. Try and time your walk to see either the sunrise or sunset and capture an image of it. Take your phone with you and capture some photographs or take the time to sit with some art supplies and let your creativity flow. Either way, give yourself some time to appreciate the beauty of nature. 

Have you ever thought about growing your own vegetables? Take your hour to do some research in to the best vegetables to grow in the space that you have. That could be a big vegetable patch in the garden with loads of carrots or potatoes or turnips. Or it could be as simple as a pot of basil on the kitchen windowsill. This activity will help to reduce your carbon footprint and help you to appreciate your food more. 

Social media is a vast and varied landscape. Curate yours to reflect the important environmental issues that matter to you. Seek out organisations such as the WWF, RSPB or the UN and interact with their content to learn more about the work they do. Or take some time to look up the eco-credentials of companies that you follow and unfollow those that don’t match with your ideals. 

Let us know how you plan on getting involved this Earth Hour 2024. To learn more about this initiative, you can visit their website here.