AnkiAmerican novelist, Wendell Berry, once wrote that “the earth is what we all have in common.” Each day we inhabit this planet, the carbon footprint and ripple effects on the environment that we leave behind get bigger. According to the UN, 75% of the Earth’s land surface has been significantly altered by human actions – actions that have resulted in polluted oceans, contaminated air, endangered species, and mass deforestation and instability.
Another statistic by the UN is that we are currently using the equivalent of 1.6 piles of earth to maintain our current way of life and ecosystems cannot keep up with our demands. Naturally, we have to do everything in our power to combat the impact of our ever-developing world on the environment. This is where the idea of Earth Hour came to fruition.
What Is the Earth Hour?
In 2007, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) created an event called Earth Hour as a call to action in protecting our planet. Starting as a simple lights-out event in Sydney, Australia, the movement has since gained global recognition and garnered supporters from more than 185 countries. Held annually, the general idea of Earth Hour is to ask individuals, communities, and businesses to turn off all non-essential electric lights for just one hour on the last Saturday of March in a symbolic commitment to the planet and to spend that hour doing anything to positively contribute to its wellbeing. This year the event falls on Saturday, the 25th of March from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.
While the concept of simply turning off your lights for an hour doesn’t register as a revolutionary action in the fight against climate change and the planet’s destruction, the event is not meant to be a practical solution but rather a symbolic and inspiring one. The action in itself won’t drastically reduce the effects of our existence on the planet, but it can become a beacon of hope for those who are doing everything they can to provide the real-life solutions needed on a greater scale.
We are, unfortunately, well on track to breach the 1.5°C climate threshold set up for us in the Paris Agreement by 2030. The 2015 pledge saw 196 Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) swear to reduce global warming. The WWF has warned that the next seven years are crucial for halting irreversible nature loss and climate change and that Earth Hour “is needed more than ever to inspire millions more to act and make millions more take notice.”
The majority of the devastating effects on our planet are caused by large corporations, manufacturers, and governments that don’t impose or adhere to sustainable practices to avoid the added effort or to encourage a bigger bottom line. While they may take more legislative action and summits to come around, the Earth Hour campaign is the perfect way for the ordinary person to contribute in some way to protecting our environment.
Why Is Earth Hour So Important?
The Earth Hour organization has emphasized that Earth Hour is not a carbon reduction exercise but rather a symbolic action to encourage people, governments, and businesses to recognize their ecological footprint and take responsibility for managing it more sustainably. While the event is based on a theoretical solution, there are many ways that Earth Hour has provided concrete benefits since its conception:
Promotes Action
Earth Hour is meant to be an incentive for businesses, governments, and organizations to take a more effective stance against climate change and adopt eco- friendly initiatives. It can also influence people to try introducing sustainable practices within workplaces and homes on a personal level as well. The event is effective if it makes you reconsider your role in combating global warming and climate change on whatever scale you can.
Is a Global Effort
The Earth Hour campaign is now a worldwide event. Over 51,188 people from 137 countries and territories have already pledged to give their hours to helping the planet in many ways. Earth Hour can be seen across international landmarks too – including the Eiffel Tower, the Roman Colosseum, and the pyramids of Giza. In an ever-expanding world, it’s important to have initiatives that allow us to join together despite the borders that divide us.
Creates Awareness
Earth Hour brings about a wave of environmental awareness where people would usually just go about their days as usual, the event makes us pause and consider how we could make an impact. Being an annual event, it won’t run the risk of dying out soon and offers a renewed sense of urgency to the climate crisis we face. Change won’t be enacted until people push it to be and that only happens when awareness is created.
Unifies Us
There’s nothing quite like global destruction to bring people together and Earth Hour does just that – in a much less ominous way. The event welcomes everyone to participate and creates a trend of goodwill that hopefully pays forward into practical solutions. It’s easy to become disheartened by the concept of climate change and stuck in the mindset of “I’m just one person, how can I make a difference?” Earth Hour is a way to show that we’re all in this mess together and if we try – even with just a simple lights-out – we can make a difference together.
Effective
While the movement in itself is symbolic, Earth Hour has achieved several incredible milestones across the globe, including:
- The WWF-Uganda created the world’s first Earth Hour Forest.
- More than 250,000 Russians voicing their support for better protection of their country’s seas and forests.
- The passing of a Senate bill in Argentina for 3.4 million hectares of Marine Protected Area in the country for its 2013 Earth Hour.
- Distribution of thousands of wood-saving stoves to families in Madagascar.
- The installation of solar-powered lights in three villages without electricity in India.
- Building public support to gain an extension of the logging moratorium and reduce deforestation in Paraguay.
- Education programs for schools launched in Thailand and Taiwan.
- Hundreds of thousands of LED lights installed by girl scouts in the USA.
- The submission of more than 2,123 mitigation actions by Earth Hour City Challenge 2014 from participating cities.
Inspires Initiatives
Earth Hour has directly led to several crowd-funded environmental initiatives. Earth Hours presents an opportunity for individuals who have the means to provide tangible solutions and donate to worthy causes in the fight against climate change. This inspires initiatives to change legislature, provoke public support, and create a sustainable narrative moving forward.
Some inspired initiatives so far include the planting of half a million trees in Uganda to combat deforestation, pushing a bill through congress with over 120,000 signatures focused on protecting the seas in Russia from oil pollution, and passing legislation to protect 3.4 million hectares of the sea off the coast of Argentina.
Inspires Conversation
The Earth Hour campaign encourages people to ask questions and sparks conversation about climate change and what we can do to combat it. It serves as an amplifying voice for the public to lawmakers and large corporations that we will take a stand and we do care about the impact on our planet.
What Can You Do To Help During Earth Hour?
So, now that you know about Earth Hour and how it can improve our planet, what can you do to help out? Simply follow these steps and do your part in creating a better planet:
Step 1 – Switch Off
To take part in Earth Hour, simply remember to switch off everything non-essential that uses electricity on Saturday 25th of March at 8:30 pm local time for one hour.
Step 2 – Participation
Many people forget about this aspect of Earth Hour and think simply switching off the lights is enough. It’s your responsibility to actively seek out activities, programs, and initiatives in your area that are celebrating and supporting Earth Hour as a community. If you don’t have these events where you stay, try to create one with the help of friends or neighbors.
Step 3 – Conservation
Remember that conserving water resources and a clean environment also form part of your commitment to Earth Hour. Pledge to use water sparingly and create clean spaces wherever you host these gatherings.
Step 4 – Spread the Word
In the digital age, it’s as easy as pressing the share button to create awareness about the event. Try to get information about Earth Hour to anyone you know – in person or across social media. Remember, the initiative is only as successful as the number of people it reaches.
Step 5 – Use the Science
While spreading the word is instrumental to Earth Hour’s success, be sure to make the scientific evidence and facts available and accessible to more people. There are so many misconceptions about climate change and our effect on the environment, it is your duty to debunk the myths and provide only accurate and scientifically backed-up information.
How Mango Power Supports Earth Hour
Mango Power is a brand committed to bringing smart renewable energy products into every home and helping every family realize a zero-carbon emission future. In the summer of 2021, Mango Power launched its first product, the revolutionary Mango Power Union（https://www.mangopower.com/） – the world’s first battery system to integrate both home and portable power solutions with a capacity of up to 13.8kwh/4kw.
Then in the winter of 2022, Mango Power launched its first portable power station – the Mango Power （https://www.mangopower.com/） – with up to 14kWh/ 6kW. While we’ve focused on providing the best sustainable products, we also endeavor to go beyond that to help protect our planet.
This is also why the Mango Power Union and Mango Power E both use clean solar energy to recharge and keep your home backup supply in check. It’s also why the Mango Power E solar generator provides a 0.79 kg reduction in carbon emissions with every recharge – which is equivalent to the amount of carbon captured by 48 trees in a day.
Mango Power is dedicated to a renewable energy revolution and promotes the switch to clean, sustainable energy solutions. We pledge to do our part this Earth Hour and encourage everyone to do so as well.
Famous environmental activist, David Attenborough once said “it’s surely our responsibility to do everything within our power to create a planet that provides a home not just for us, but for all life on Earth.”
Let us join together this Earth Hour in creating a brighter future for our planet by switching off the lights. Together, we can help remedy our impact on this planet.