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Earth Hour in Australia, across the globe, and above it



Earth Hour, an annual event since it was first launched in Sydney in 2007, occurs on March 31 from 8:30 to 9:30 pm in each country’s local time zone. Now a global event organized by WWF (previously World Wildlife Fund and now called World Wide Fund for Nature), people and organizations are asked to switch off their lights for an hour. The aim is to be the biggest environmental event of 2012. Hundreds of millions of people will be switching off their lights for one hour, on the same night, all around the world to signal their care and support for planet Earth.

Iconic structures around the world – such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, and the Australian War Memorial in Canberra have turned off their lights for an hour in previous years. Even Arctic stations turned off their lights.
Last year in the Australian capital, Canberra, 52% of people participated in the campaign, a greater proportion of people than any other state. This year more Canberrans are expected to participate, along with more countries. Many restaurants have indicated that they will serve customers by candlelight, and entertainment will be unplugged (no electricity).
Last year more than 5,000 cities in 135 countries participated in Earth Hour. To date, governments in 116 nations have indicated that they will join the Earth Hour campaign. Iraq, Bhutan, and New Caledonia have signed up to participate for the first time. The target is 1.3 billion people across the globe.
Last year Earth Hour was a symbolic gesture to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This year the focus is on wider sustainability issues, such as the promotion of sustainable use of resources. This includes buying and eating locally grown food, and preserving biodiversity.
Earth Hour doesn’t mean turning off everything in the home and using absolutely no electricity. The main idea behind Earth Hour is to turn off non-essential lighting for an hour (so you don’t need to turn off the refrigerator or even the television, or safety and security lighting – or traffic lights). Individuals and organizations decide for themselves which lights to turn off. During the hour, it is hoped that people think about long term behavioural environmental change.
For the first time, the international space station will participate in Earth Hour in 2012 by switching off or dimming non-essential lights on March 31. Dutch astronaut, Andre Kuipers, will also provide live commentary from the space station. The space station orbits the Earth 15 times a day, so it will be in a prime position to watch the lights go off around the globe at 8:30 pm in their local time.
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