Lights out for a good cause
Every year Earth Hour is celebrated by people around the world who turn their lights, appliances, and all electronic devices off from 8:30pm-9:30pm local time. The idea is to send a global message about the impact of climate change and the importance of conservation.
What started as a small event in Sydney, Australia in 2007 has now grown to include more than 7000 cities and towns worldwide.1 In fact, in 2015 a record-breaking 172 countries and territories took part in Earth Hour with about 10,400 landmarks participating in the event.2
Earth Hour is a wonderful reminder to all of us that it’s important to conserve energy all the time in order to be good environmental stewards, and that we must be accountable for the ecological footprints we leave behind.
Powering down for an hour is all you really need to do during Earth Hour, but there are ways to make it fun and even more meaningful for your family and friends:
- Take stock of your emergency kit. Or create one if you haven’t already. Check out our article for a list of all the things you should include in your kit.
- Talk to each other. We live in a busy world where so many things compete for our time and attention. Use the quiet of Earth Hour to really reconnect with the people you love. Talk, laugh, reminisce and enjoy the wonderful things that make you the unique and special family that you are.
- Make dinner. Test your family’s blackout survival skills by preparing a meal without using any power. Our article, “What’s for dinner during a blackout” has some great ideas for healthy meals prepared using items you’d find in your emergency kit.
- Break out the board games. Those “old fashioned” board games will be a refreshing break from video games and hand-held gaming devices, and playing games by candlelight is an experience you and your kids may have never had before.
- Host a wine and cheese party. Invite your friends and neighbors over for a candlelit cocktail party. You might even consider a wine tasting party and ask everyone to bring their favorite bottle to sample.
- Brainstorm ways to protect our planet. Discuss the ways that you, as a family, could conserve more energy, recycle and reuse more items, and make your community cleaner and healthier. You might even decide to organize a Foresters Playfinders activity where a group of like-minded folks gather together to spruce up the playspaces in your neighborhood. Read our article on the many ways the world needs you for more great ideas.
There may also be official Earth Hour events happening in your city or town, so check with your municipal government to see if there’s anything going on in your area. If there isn’t anything planned, you might even consider organizing an event yourself!
The Earth Hour website has lots of resources, including starter kits to help you promote your event, and an event tracker that will let you add your event to the official roster of Earth Hour activities.
This is only earth we have, and we are all responsible for protecting it. Earth Hour is a wonderful way to show your commitment to keeping our planet as green and as beautiful as possible.
For more suggestions on how to encourage environmentalism in your children or grandchildren, check out our article that lists 10 ways to “green up” your kids.