10 fun off-the-grid ideas to brighten up your #EarthHour

WWF’s Earth Hour, which kicks off at 8.30pm on Saturday, 25 March, is not only about one hour in the dark, it’s about creating a brighter future.

Even though you’re switching off your lights and electronic appliances for the environment this weekend, you don’t have to sit around twiddling your thumbs in the dark.

There is still a lot you can do without using a watt of electricity this Saturday. Earth Hour can be as fun as it is good for the planet and if you’re looking for some entertaining ways to spend it, you’re in luck.

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10 fun activities that are sure to deliver a good time completely off-grid:

1. Light up some candles

Whether you have 16 or six of them, candles are a great way to keep yourself from walking into things when the lights are off. They’re also great at creating a soft mood, especially if they’re scented. If you missed out on a candlelit dinner on Valentine’s Day, here’s your second chance to light up the romance. If you’re planning to be outdoors, you may want to try some citronella tea lights to keep the mosquitoes at bay.

WATCH VIDEO: How to Make 5 Emergency Candles – which one do you think is the most creative ?

2. Have a candle-lit dinner using Earth conscious menus from celebrity chefs

Celebrate the hour with your partner, friends or family and have a candlelit dinner with your own tasty dishes based on WWF’s Livewell principles, which has been created for healthy people and a planet with a brilliant future. Read up on their dinner party guide or get inspired by celebrity chefs who support the Livewell principles.

3. Invite friends around for a pub quiz and board games by candlelight

WWF’s Earth Hour is all about people coming together to celebrate our world. If you’ve decided to invite friends over, pull out the old board games, dust them off and get playing.

4. Take a wildlife walk or go star-gazing

Get closer to nature while doing something for your health and well-being by taking a night walk or going star-gazing. And if you don’t have a telescope, don’t worry. Just darkness, a blanket and hot drinks will be enough for a perfect star-gazing hour.

5. Go for a night-time bike ride

Cycling is not a trend, it’s part of a sustainable lifestyle. Everyday more people decide to leave their car at home and start cycling. And once you’ve started cycling, you can’t stop. So why not go for a ride during the earthy hour?

6. Try candle-lit yoga or exercise

“Mens sana in corpore sano,” reads the famous Latin quotation, meaning ‘a healthy mind in a healthy body’. WWF’s Earth Hour is a moment for appreciating the brilliant world we all share and how we need to protect it. Use this time to pursue a more sustainable and healthy lifestyle.

7. Have an unplugged jam session at home

Invite your friends over and unplug while you enjoy some in-house acoustic music. Guitars, African drums and tambourines are some of the many music makers that don’t require electricity.

8. Read a bed-time story to your children or loved one

Light a candle to create a cozy atmosphere and transform your favorite bedtime story into a fantastic journey of the imagination.

9. Recite poetry

Remember that scene in the iconic movie, Dead Poets Society when the kids climbed into a cave and started reciting poetry? Isn’t it just about the perfect time to try that?

You’ve got the candles, the right mood and the right group of friends. Just bust out a book of poems and have some fun! And remember what Robin Williams says in the movie, “Language was developed for one endeavour, and that is to woo women!”

10. Play around with sparklers

Who says only kids can play with sparklers? These magic fun sticks are a blast for people of all ages. Plus, with the magic of slow-exposure photography, you can make yourselves some nice sparkler-art photos.

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