Earth Hour explained

Earth Hour began in Australia in 2007 as a symbolic event and is a call to action for people around the world to take positive action for the planet. People participating in Earth Hour should switch off all the lights in their home for exactly one hour to raise awareness of climate change.

Since it’s inception, the initiative has grown into a booming local movement, mobilising hundreds of thousands of people to use their voice during Earth Hour to inspire, motivate and lead the charge on their hopes and concerns about the planet.

Here at home, South Africans were introduced to Earth Hour in 2009, ahead of the climate change talks in Copenhagen, Denmark, which lead to Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) South Africa taking charge of inspiring fellow South Africans to sign up and switch off.

Click here to read: What does the climate have to do with your food, energy, water and waste?

Each year, the support for Earth Hour grows, inspiring change in various environmental concerns, including the fight for deforestation in Uganda last year, a 10-year freeze on a new oil project in the Arctic, the creation of a national park in Malaysia, a reduction in energy usage in Brunei Darussalam and stronger climate change laws in Scotland, Switzerland and in South Africa.

Details: www.earthhour.org