It all started with just one simple question: "How can we inspire people to take action on climate change?" And the answer looked like a light switch.
Nearly a year ago, the people of Sydney, Australia answered the question and made an impact by deciding to turn off their lights for one hour, between 8 and 9 PM. When they did so, they reduced the city's consumption by 10%, which was the equivalent of taking 48,000 cars off the road.
And this year, the movement has spread beyond Syndey. Now, Earth Hour is global.
Turning off your lights for an hour is nearly painless, and while the totaled savings may seem like peanuts compared to the strain on the global grid, the point of the hour is more than just flicking a switch and forgetting about it. The point is to become more conscious of the lives we lead and how over lights are left on, using precious natural resources and emitting carbon into our atmosphere.
Will one hour save the world? No, but one hour will start saving the world. As we take the first steps on that long journey we call social change, we must begin somewhere, and this Saturday at 8 PM is a very appropriate place to do so.
You can join the Earth Hour movement and commit to turning off your lights for an hour this Saturday at 8 PM local time. In fact, you could turn off others’ lights as well: