This year, Earth Hour will be on March 30, 2019, from 8:30 PM to 9:30. Here’s how you contribute to this important global initiative:
What can an hour do?
A lot. But before discussing how you can take part in this year’s Earth Hour, it’s best to know what Earth Hour is. Earth Hour is a Singapore-based organization whose goal is to unite people all over the world in the quest of saving the planet. It is organized by the WWF and has volunteer organizations worldwide.
Now, what we know as Earth Hour is a lights-off event that started back in 2007 in Sydney, Australia. Since then, more than a decade after, more than 180 countries all over the world have joined in participating in the event every year.
Here’s how you can do your part:
Educate
Educate yourself and educate others. The source of electricity is a limited source and while humanity has found renewable sources of energy and are slowly making the transition, most of the countries’ sources of energy remain to be fossil fuel. And as many people know, the burning of fossil fuels largely contributes to pollution and thus, global warming.
Now, when somebody asks what an hour can do, let them know. An hour of just one person turning off his electricity may not make a dent but imagine millions of people turning off their electricity? That’s millions of kilowatts of energy unspent.
Instead of looking at this lights-off event as a solution, it’s best to look at it as a means to spread awareness. It’s a worldwide gesture and call to action to every inhabitant of the world.
Get people involved
Encouraging and convincing people to be involved in a cause can turn off people as easily as it could convince them. Some methods may be intimidating, especially concerning serious causes. However, there are many ways to slowly integrate friends and family to care about the environment, and eventually making changes in their lifestyles.
Why not host a lights-out party during Earth Hour? Get your friends together and out of their houses for a different type of dinner. There are restaurants that serve food in complete darkness, so why can’t you? Consider it a challenge!
On that note, you can also ask your friends and family for a potluck to reduce food waste -which is another problem that Earth Hour acknowledges and works to eliminate. It will be an hour of the unplugged company and warm conversations. Who knows, you might not even notice the hour go by!
Make small changes in your lifestyle
Or if you could go big, why not? However, it might be best to start slow to avoid jarring changes in your lifestyle. This changes will be done after and beyond Earth Hour, successfully achieving its goal to bring awareness.
Start slow and do your research. It’s easy to get caught in the craze of organic trades and sustainable living, and it’s easy to stop noticing that you’re buying more instead of actually reducing.
There are tons of groups online and articles that can help you get started. Some people decide to go vegan or reduce meat consumption to lessen their carbon footprint, while some people take part in clean-ups and recycling plastic. One act is not necessarily better than the other as there are many factors why some people can’t go vegan or why some people can’t help much in labor-intensive activities.
Record the changes in your lifestyle and you’ll be surprised, by the next Earth Hour, you won’t even notice the changes.
An hour can do a lot, when utilized properly and even more when supported by a lot of people. As an organization, the Earth Hour contributes a lot to the organized movement of organizations across countries for different specific spearheaded activities. From marine and land conservation, clean-up drives, recycling and even lobbying of laws.
And as an event, Earth Hour can significantly reduce our electricity consumption as a species and raise awareness at our planet’s situation. But the responsibility goes beyond the event, your best contributions to Earth Hour happens after – the changes in your lifestyle, the awareness you spread and the education you impart.
Sources: Teen Vogue, Earth Hour, Coca-Cola Company
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