Earth Hour 2024: Earth Hour, which is observed annually on the last Saturday of March, i.e. on March 25, this year gives us the opportunity to improve the environment in just one hour. The World Wide Fund for Nature (W.W.F.) created Earth Hour, which is conducted annually and encourages individuals, communities, and businesses to turn off non-essential electric lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. as a symbol of their commitment to the environment.
Earth Hour 2024: Theme
This year marks the 18th edition of Earth Hour, with the theme “Biggest Hour for Earth.” The event encourages people worldwide to turn off their lights for 60 minutes from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. as a symbolic gesture of support for our planet.
HISTORY OF EARTH HOUR
Earth Hour began as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia, in 2007 with the intention of engaging each individual in the struggle against climate change. Earth Hour is now a global event that encourages everyone to turn off non-essential electric lights for one hour on the last Saturday of March between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Australia convened with the advertising agency Leo Burnett Sydney in 2004 to discuss ideas for engaging Australians in the issue of climate change. However, the concept of a large-scale off switch was not conceived until 2006, when ‘The Great Flick’ was published. In 2007, with the support of Fairfax Media and Lord Mayor Clover Moore of Sydney, Earth Hour was held on March 31 at 7:30 p.m. local time in Sydney, Australia.
In 2008, Earth Hour 2008 was conducted internationally on March 29 from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. local time, with over 400 cities and 35 countries participating. For Earth Hour, landmarks around the globe turned off their non-essential lighting, and even Google’s homepage went dark. Megawatt-hours and carbon dioxide emissions were drastically reduced in countries and cities that participated.
In years when Holy Saturday falls on the last Saturday of March or when other cultural events are observed, Earth Hour is occasionally held one week earlier than usual. Multiple nations and individuals have participated since 2008, transforming this event into one of the world’s largest environmental grassroots movements.
Participating in Earth Hour’s switch off reminds us that even modest actions can have a significant impact, as millions of people around the world turn off their lights to demonstrate concern for the future of our planet.
Earth Hour: What does Earth Hour make a difference? Know about the significance
HOW TO BE AWARE OF EARTH HOUR
Turned Off
The best method to participate in Earth Hour is to turn off your lights. Turn off all non-essential electrical appliances, devices, and controls for one hour between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. Standard Time. Join the fight to improve our environment.
Download the Footprint app
The WWF developed the app Footprint to nudge us toward small but significant environmental choices. The app contains a number of personalised challenges that encourage you to make incremental improvements to your life. Download the programme immediately and begin a challenge.
Promote knowledge
Raise and disseminate awareness of current environmental concerns. Use social media to raise awareness and educate others about Earth Hour. You can motivate a few additional individuals to take the next step in caring for our environment and home — Earth.
5 FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT
There are too many plants.
Every day, approximately 27,000 trees are taken down to produce toilet paper.
Cows cause environmental mischief.
A single bovine can emit between 200 and 400 pounds of methane gas annually through burps and flatulence, which is twenty times more potent than carbon dioxide gas.
There is considerable hydrocarbon in our oceans.
Approximately five million tonnes of crude produced annually ends up in the oceans.
There are not many forests left.
Currently, less than 4% of American forests remain.
There is little available water.
Only 1% of the world’s water supply is functional, while the remaining 97% consists of oceans and 2% is frozen.
WHY EARTH HOUR IS IMPORTANT
We call the Earth our home
The Earth is our only habitat, and without it, we cannot exist. Earth Hour is essential because it encourages us to protect our planet.
The environment is deteriorating
Natural disasters, pandemics, and global warming are essential indicators that our environment requires our assistance. As the rate of global warming continues to rise, we must take action to enhance the health of our environment.
It’s a group endeavour
Earth Hour involves every person and does not delegate responsibility to a select few. This demonstrates that significant change requires a group endeavour, and that we can all contribute to making things better.
EARTH HOUR DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | March 26 | Saturday |
| 2023 | March 25 | Saturday |
| 2024 | March 30 | Saturday |
| 2025 | March 29 | Saturday |
| 2026 | March 28 | Saturday |
