Join Millions Around the Globe In Celebrating Earth Hour 2024 

How To Celebrate Earth Hour

Photo by Malte Schmidt on Unsplash

The first step to Earth Hour is Simple: Switch off!

Turn off your lights for 1 hour and encourage your work/home/neighbors to join in.

After that it’s up to you, just take that time to do something that piques your interest and is positive for the planet.

That could be:

• Learning more about the planet by deepening your understanding of its threats and what you can do to help.
• Reconnecting with the planet by spending time in nature to appreciate the planet and feel inspired to protect it.
• Restoring the planet by getting your hands dirty to keep the planet clean and green.
• Inspiring others by encouraging your friends, family, and workplace to get involved.
• Engaging your community by organizing or attending an Earth Hour Event.

What Does Earth Hour 2024 Aim To Do?

The next 7 years are crucial in protecting our planet from irreversible damage due to climate change, and Earth Hour proves there’s power in coming together. It’s a crucial reminder that we need to ramp up the pressure to take action.

By participating in Earth Hour 2024, you’re showing your leaders that this planet matters to you. You’re telling them to represent your — and millions of other people’s — needs and concerns about reversing climate change and the destruction of nature.

Because world leaders won’t listen to you ranting alone in your room, but they might listen when lights are switched off in millions of countries across the globe.

Who Takes Part in Earth Hour?

As well as millions of people from hundreds of countries, public figures and celebrities have gotten involved too: UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ellie Goulding, and just a few supporters.

Nobody wants to be the first to destroy an entire ecosystem. But we all want to be part of the group that saves it. Imagine how that would feel. To unlock that opportunity, we need to invest in nature.

- Ellie Goulding, Speaking to the UN

It’s not just our homes that practice the ‘lights out’ hour, global landmarks have also symbolically switched-off for Earth Hours. The mega list includes:

• Sydney Opera House
• Beijing Phoenix Center
• Taipei 101
• Petronas Towers
• India Gate
• The Colosseum
• The Eiffel Tower
• Christ the Redeemer
• The Empire State Building

To name a few! Check out this video to see Earth Hour 2023 in action.

Does Earth Hour Have An Impact? 

Earth Hour shines a light on global environmental issues, such as:

• Carbon dioxide concentration levels in our atmosphere are at a 3 million year high
• More than 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans each year
• Forests are rapidly being depleted at a current rate of over 15 billion trees annually

It’s a symbolic reminder of the urgent need for change, and the power of coming together to create change.

But shining a light on issues is just the first step.

The next is to take action. Over the years, Earth Hour has helped:

• Ignite a law to be passed in Russia to protect its seas from oil pollution
• Russia implement a 10-year freeze on oil projects in the Arctic
• Decrease the usage of energy in Brunei Darussalam
• Spanish residents to tell their leaders they wanted to phase out fossil fuels and introduce renewable alternatives

And it’s not just about huge Global efforts. There are things you can do at home today, for earth Hour and beyond, to take a step towards a healthier planet.

How Earth Hour Is Helping Deforestation (And What You Can Do!)

Photo by roya ann miller on Unsplash

Forests are home to 80% of all terrestrial life on Earth, but since the 1960’s, almost half of the planet’s rainforests have been lost.

Earth Hour isn’t just about turning off the lights, it’s about helping the planet.

In 2013, WWF Uganda established the first Earth Hour Forest with 2,700 hectares of land in 2013. In 2015, Earth Hour helped Malaysia create a national park.

Swapping out paper products with sustainable tree-free alternatives can save trees and the 1.5 billion people who depend on them.

How You Can Reduce Plastic for Earth Hour (And Beyond!)

One way we can all take a step towards a healthier planet (and something we’re extremely passionate about here at ZeroWasteStore!) is to reduce our plastic waste.

• Reduce what you use, reuse what you have, and recycle what you can
• Join a local cleanup event, or organize your own, to keep your favorite places litter-free
• Shop at local farmer’s markets and bulk bin stores, using your own tote bag to carry your food in
• Carry a reusable water bottle or reusable cup with you to avoid plastic and paper cups
• Do a plastic audit of your home, replacing single-use products with sustainable alternatives

Join ZeroWasteStore in Celebrating Earth Hour 2024!

Get ready to switch off on March 25th, 8:30 -9:30 PM, and give an hour of your time to do something positive for the planet.

And remember, the work’s not down when the lights go back on! Making sustainable choices should be something you do every hour, or every day, no matter how big or small.