You’ve likely heard of Earth Day, the infamous April holiday demonstrating support for environmental protection. It draws in people from across the world to participate in marches, petition signings, community service acts, and more often than not, a whole lot of tree planting! We are all about this special day but there’s another holiday that takes place each year that we want to shed some light on – no pun intended.

Earth Hour

Earth Hour is now one of the world’s largest grassroots movements for the environment. It originally began in 2007 by World Wildlife Fund and its partners as a symbolic lights-out event in Sydney, Australia. Since then, this event has expanded globally, bringing people together to celebrate our planet.

So, what does this day entail?

By switching off your lights on March 25 at 8:30pm (local time), you will join millions of others in 190 countries in support of our planet. To participate, simply switch off your lights for the entire hour from 8:30-9:30pm in your local time zone. Besides just turning off your lights, you’re encouraged to unplug any electronics and appliances.

Paper bag luminaries in Algeria to celebrate Earth Hour 2022

Paper bag luminaries in Algeria to celebrate Earth Hour 2022 © Earth Hour-Algeria / SIDRA

This event aims to encourage people to come together in support of the planet. Whether you choose to play a board game with your family under candlelight or stargaze with minimal light pollution, any act that isn’t using electricity is recommended.

Earth Hour this year is putting a new spin on the annual event by not just encouraging supporters to switch off their lights but also, to give an hour for Earth, spending 60 minutes doing something – anything – positive for our planet. Due to the widespread support of Earth Hour across 190 countries, we can use the collective power of the people to turn a single Earth Hour into thousands and millions of hours of action and awareness. This hour of action can create a domino effect of impact that transcends the 60 minutes.

“Amidst our increasingly divided and polarized societies, the Biggest Hour for Earth becomes a precious moment of unity, reminding the world that our one shared home needs our help and that we all can – and must – play a part in protecting it.” – earthhour.org

How to participate

The easy answer is to turn off your lights for the allotted hour. Beyond this, there are a variety of ways that you can make a positive change. A few simple ways to engage during Earth Hour:

  • Listen to a podcast or informational talk
  • Donate to an environmental organization
  • Volunteer at a local nature protection or restoration initiative
  • Organize your very own Earth Hour event in your community
Tree planting in Colombia to celebrate Earth Hour 2022

Tree planting in Colombia to celebrate Earth Hour 2022 © Esteban Vega La Rotta / WWF-Colombia

Learn more about different ways you can make a positive impact on the planet through Earth Hour.

“Earth Hour is a fantastic celebration of people, planet and nature, and this year we want as many people as possible to feel inspired and empowered to play a part, no matter how small. By “switching off” your lights or switching off from daily habits and distractions and doing something positive for the planet, we can turn a single Earth Hour into thousands and millions of hours of action, making this the Biggest Hour for Earth yet. Together, through one incredible moment of global unity, let’s ensure that 2023 is a year of change in order to reach our 2030 nature positive goal.” – Dr Kirsten Schuijt, Director General, WWF International