Earth Hour 2023
What is it?
What is Earth Hour we hear you say! Well, Earth Hour is an annual event organized by WWF and partners across the world, and led by the Earth Hour community.
It’s strapline is “Give an hour for Earth by spending 60 minutes doing something – anything – positive for our planet…” which, given the severity of the climate crisis we find ourselves in, is a very small thing that EVERYONE can achieve.
This year Earth Hour falls on Saturday 25 March at 8:30pm and it aims to encourage us ALL to take time out of our hectic and busy lives, switch off for 1 hour, and instead reflect on what nature and our planet means to us.
By switching off for an hour we can block out distractions and really focus on our world, reinforcing the message that even our small actions can make a big difference.
To give a little bit of background, Earth Hour started in Sydney Australia in 2007 where more than 2.2 million individuals and 2,000 businesses all switched off their lights for 1 hour on 31 March. It has grown year on year globally and its impact has gone far beyond just turning off the lights for 1 hour, and now every year, hundreds of millions of people, famous landmarks, local businesses and community groups across the world take part in Earth hour events and activities.
Get involved…
With the climate crisis in ‘full swing’ worldwide and the global warming limit of 1.5 degrees about to be breached, we need ACTION and we need it NOW.
We all have a part to play in helping fix this planet and Earth Hour is a great way to start.
Getting involved really can be as simple as turning off your lights and electrical devices for an hour on a Saturday night and taking the time to reflect on the part we play in protecting our planet. Just think how much of an impact we’d have if we ALL turned off our lights for an hour together!
Or if you fancy getting a bit more involved you can check out the Earth Hour website and see what events are being held in your area that you could join in with.
What else?
Our planet needs all of us to wake up and realise we are on a very slippery slope towards a tipping point, after which we can no longer reverse the damage.
We all need to start taking action, no matter how small, to change the way we live and the decisions we take. Switching off everything for Earth Hour is a great place to start and leads seamlessly into thinking about Earth Day on 22 April, and what you can do to get involved with this event.
The 2023 Earth Day theme is Invest in our Planet which highlights the importance of dedicating our time, resources, and energy to solving climate change and other environmental issues.
Take a look at www.earthday.org for more information and ideas.
Get Educated
The Climate Crisis multifaceted, huge, and happening right now. But with so many important areas and issues to consider within the overarching Climate Crisis headline, it can often be overwhelming knowing where to even start when trying to make a difference.
We need to understand these equally important areas and issues that make up the Climate Crisis, then choose the one which one is most important to us, and start there.
And the only way to understand is to educate ourselves, as no one is going to do it for us…
So get reading, get watching, and get listening to a wide variety of facts, opinions, and media. Start to take accountability for your own actions and decisions, and open your eyes to the fact there is no planet b yet we consume everything as if there were two more identical planet Earths waiting in the wings…
If you need help to take action then get in touch, we help businesses and individuals reduce and improve their environmental impact.
And for more green, sustainable tips and articles take a look at our other blog posts, or pop over to Instagram and LinkedIn and check out @achievinggreenness where we provide you with the motivation, evidence, and tools you may need to become greener.
