It’s official: we love planet Earth! And on March 28th, we’ll be joining millions of people around the world who will switch off their lights from 8:30-9:30pm to commemorate Earth Hour 2020.
“In view of the ongoing health crisis as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Earth Hour global organizing team is recommending all event organizers celebrate Earth Hour digitally this year. There are many ways to take part online or at home and show your support for the planet on and around the hour.” – Earth Hour Official Website (WWF)
Earth Hour is a powerful symbol of unity against climate change. Its simple message has inspired amazing changes all over the world and has become one of the largest environmental movements in history. During these times, it is more important than ever for us to come together.
10 facts about Earth Hour
Here are 10 fun facts about the history of this global movement and some of the resulting initiatives:
- The first ever Earth Hour took place in Sydney in 2007. The initiative was started by WWF to raise public awareness about climate change.
- 35 countries participated the following year (2008), with Google’s homepage even going “dark” in support of the cause.
- 188 countries and territories took part in Earth Hour in 2019!
- Thousands of famous landmarks switched off their lights last year, including the Eiffel Tower, the Tokyo Sky Tree, the Sydney Opera House and the Empire State Building.
- In 2018, Greece held an underwater marathon to celebrate biodiversity and highlight the threats faced by marine species.
- In 2018, Jordan set a new World Record by lighting 11,000 candles to form the largest ever candle mosaic. They spelled out the Earth Hour motto, ‘60+’.
- Earth Hour’s motto, ‘60+’ , encourages us to think beyond the 60 minute event and how we can change our energy consumption to support the planet every day.
- Public support for change has led to environmental achievements all over the world since Earth Hour began, including a plastics ban in the Galapagos Islands and solar power initiatives in India.
- In Canada, public support has affected positive changes such as carbon taxes and renewable energy targets. That’s why it’s so important to take part in Earth Hour 2020 and continue to show our support!
- Here in Vancouver, many of us at Product Care are currently working remotely, so we’ll be switching off our lights at home for Earth Hour and thinking about how we can reduce our footprint.
Tips for reducing our environmental footprint
Some easy things we can do everyday is switch off lights whenever we can, reduce our packaging use, and preserve energy by turning off electronics when they’re not in use. Keeping waste out of landfills is another fantastic way to reduce your impact. Check out which household waste can be recycled through our programs.
This year, the Earth Hour team has provided some amazing ideas to celebrate from the comfort of your home. Take a look at their list to get inspired and plan your own activity!
A candlelit dinner is one way you can celebrate Earth Hour 2020 from the comfort of your own home
How are you saving energy for @EarthHour this year? Don’t forget to turn your own lights off from 8:30-9:30pm (local time!) #earthhour2020
