Get Involved: Earth Hour March 29

Did you know that this Saturday from 8:30 to 9:30 pm is Earth Hour? This global initiative, started in 2007 by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Sydney, Australia, has now spread worldwide to over 7,000 cities. Earth Hour is, in essence, an hour of lights-out time. Participants are urged to switch off any nonessential lights and electronics, as part of the world’s largest movement for action on climate change.

How do I get involved?

• If you are planning to spend the evening at home, how about getting together with friends to host a picnic or board-game night by candle light? Ditching technology is a great way to reconnect with people on a grass-roots level.
• Stargaze. City dwellers, including more than 80 percent of us Canadians, often find it difficult to look up and see much of anything. Take advantage of this rare darkness by taking some time to admire the stars. Wrap up warm though! It is Canada in March after all.
• Go on a date. Nothing says romance like candlelight, right? Either hole up at home with your beau, or check out which restaurants in your area are participating in Earth Hour.
• Cities throughout Canada are hosting various events in support of Earth Hour. Look out for candlelit acoustic concerts, drum circles, workshops on sustainability, and even yoga classes.
• Don’t forget to post your pictures online. No matter what you get up to this Earth Hour, make sure you take a snap to raise awareness. Hashtags to use include #EarthHour, #YourPower, and #Spiderman. (Spiderman is Earth Hour’s ambassador this year, promoting ways to be a superhero for the planet.)

Earth Hour throughout the year

New for this year is the introduction of Earth Hour Blue, a WWF site dedicated to crowd-sourcing and crowd-funding for environmental projects around the world. Here you can browse the projects happening near and far from home, express your support, spread the word, and even pledge a donation.

Projects include a provision of cook stoves in Nepal, where villagers are forced to use wood for cooking, slowly depleting the endangered tigers’ habitat, and a movement to provide training for wildlife rangers and awareness to help put an end to wildlife crime and the poaching of endangered species. Contributing to these initiatives is a way to keep the Earth Hour movement going throughout the year, with continued public support.

For further reading on Earth Hour, check out our previous articles on Earth Hour last year, and ways to Go Beyond Earth Hour.