Earth Hour Turns 10 Years Old Tonight

Earth Hour began in Australia in 2007, when the World Wide Fund for Nature decided to create an initiative to give visible pause to individuals who (consciously or unconsciously) fail to see how much energy is used worldwide on a daily basis–especially at night. The event is held annually shortly after Daylight Savings Time (this year: today, March 25th) and consists of encouraging individuals, communities, households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for 1 hour starting at 8:30 PM in order to generate awareness for Global Warming, the state of modern energy consumption, and Climate Change.

Historically, even international landmarks have participated in Earth Hour, including the Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower, and the Statue of Liberty.

In London, local attractions like the Gherkin, Piccadilly Circus, Harrods, and The Ritz are just a few of iconic places that will switch off their lights for Earth Hour. In recent years, wandering around cities across the world without their usual floodlights has become a fun past time for the environmentally aware.

“Building on last year’s success,” notes Earth Hour Org, “France will continue the “Earth Hour Paris” campaign, where people can use their social media channels to turn off a light bulb on the Eiffel Tower.”

To participate in Earth Hour, simply turn off your lights tonight beginning at 8:30 PM local time, and see if you can leave them off for one hour. Consider having a candlelit dinner with friends to celebrate the affair!

7,000 cities across 172 countries are expected to off their lights tonight, starting at 8:30 p.m. local time. Where ever you are, the decrease in ambient light pollution means more potential for star gazing. Get out there and see for yourself! Show us your stars during Earth Hour tonight by tagging us at @GardenCollage or #GardenCollage.

See you in the dark!