In 2007, Andy Ridley partnered with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Australia and Fairfax Media to bring light to the rising issue of climate change. He came up with Earth Hour, an event that encouraged businesses and families to turn off electric lights for one hour each year to advocate and bring awareness to climate change.

The first Earth Hour took place in Sydney that same year. Since then, the movement has become global. By 2009, Earth Hour was the largest environmental movement, and each year, more countries take part. This year, on March 24th at 8:30 pm, people all over the world participated in Earth Hour.

The Reason Behind Earth Hour

In 2007, the idea of climate change was not well known to the public. However, with each passing year, the environment was getting worse, and global temperatures continued to climb upwards. It became increasingly important for all citizens to take part in the effort to protect the environment.

Today, Earth Hour creates a visual change (diminishing lights) that everyone can see, and continues to teach that everyone has a part in keeping the Earth healthy. While the movement only lasts for an hour, participants are actually expressing their dedication to becoming global citizens who care for the environment, year-round.

Each country sets their own goals for Earth Hour, ranging from protecting biodiversity, to switching to renewable energy, to waste management.

In 2012, Russia collected signatures to deal with the oil pollution in the oceans. In 2016, WWF-Australia created #PlacesWeLove, a campaign to protect natural landmarks that are deteriorating from pollution. In 2017, Iranian citizens came together to plant trees. Last year, a total of 187 countries participated in the movement. In addition, many landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and the Tower Bridge in London have taken part, turning off their lights that normally illuminate the city.

Did you participate in Earth Hour? What did you do?