Imagine that suddenly the entire world goes dark for just one hour. There would be no street or house lights shining, no music blaring from clubs, and only the soft, flickering glow of candle light here and there.

No, this isn’t because of yet another problem with Eskom, or a solar flare, or one of the hundred other reasons that jumped into your head after reading the first paragraph. Instead, it’s a moment where the world stands in unity, to honour sustainability and to show their support for solving the problem of global warming. I exaggerated slightly, as Earth Hour asks only that all non-essential lighting be turned off – but if you’re serious, why not go the whole hog…

Facts:

• Earth Hour was first conceived by the WWF and Sydney Morning Herald, in 2007. As such, the first Earth Hour was held in Sydney, Australia, where over 2.2 million residents turned off all non-essential lights on the 31^st of March.
• Other cities found the idea appealing, and joined the movement in March 2008 – which totalled a whopping 35 countries around the world. Even Google joined in and made their homepage go “dark” on the day Earth Hour occurred.
• Earth Hour has become a world-wide annual event, which is held on the last Saturday of March.
• Last year (2011) was the largest Earth Hour to date, with all seven continents participating. There was a total of 5,251 cities, 135 countries and an astounding estimate of 1.8 billion people across the globe who took part!
• This year (2012), is the first year in which Earth Hour falls on the same day and date as the first year it was held, in 2007.

Exemplary Actions taken over the years:

• In 2008 in Phoenix Park, Ireland, a telescope was set up by the national Astronomy clubs so residents could enjoy the night’s sky, which is normally drowned out by light pollution.

• In Tel Aviv, Israel, a free concert was held where the power was generated by generators burning used falafel oil for power. There was also a gung-ho group of cyclists who were pushing pedal generators (during 2008).

• In 2009, the United Nations headquarters in New York participated for the first time, while the National Geographic Channel played a special one hour episode during Earth Hour to show the public how they could reduce energy consumption.

• South Africa’s very own Archbishop Desmond Tutu was an Earth Hour ambassador in 2010, along with London’s Mayor, Boris Johnson and the Vietnamese President, Nguyễn Minh Triết.

• The following landmarks switched off their lights during the 2011 Earth Hour: Table Mountain, the Sydney Opera House, Buckingham Palace, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, and Christ the Redeemer statue.

But what’s the point?

If you still are a bit confused as to what the purpose of Earth Hour is, it’s to decrease electrical consumption, which in turn reduces the amount of carbon dioxide that is produced (one of the main causes of global warming).

In essence, it’s aimed to reduce every business, government and family’s environmental impact. The best part about it is that the people and cities that do participate are showing the rest of the world they’re taking a stand, and not just sitting on the fence with the global warming issue.

You paint a pretty picture but…

If you’re still sceptical, you aren’t alone.

• For many law enforcement agencies around the world, Earth Hour seems to be one of the worst ideas ever – as the crime rate tends to double over this one hour alone.

• Many people also think that Earth Hour’s one-hour of turning off non-essential things isn’t good enough. I mean if you can turn off a few items you’re not using, why not be pro-active and turn off everything?!

• While others wonder what the point is of turning all non-essential electrical devices off, for only an hour – when most people do this every evening before bed.

• Some think only Eco-snobs participate in this and, on principle, won’t take part.

But I want to help!

Despite the negative opinions some have of Earth Hour, majority of people want to try and do their bit for mother earth. If you’re keen to participate in Earth Hour, here are a couple of steps you can take:

• Invite friends and family round to your house to have a braai. Or you could cook supper over the hour on a camping stove – if you want to create a party atmosphere, play music off your cellphone, or break out that old guitar and do a few sing along songs.

• If you’re in an area that experiences cold, shut all doors to rooms not in use in order to prevent from heat dissipating.

• Unplug all electrical devices not in use, such as cellphone chargers and laptops – these sneaky little suckers still drain power even if nothing’s plugged into them.

• If you have children, chat to them about how lucky they are to have electricity in the first place – and mention how a lot of township families and those in very rural areas spend most nights with no electricity at all.

• If you want to take a lighter approach with your kids, why not play pioneers or Voortrekkers – while explaining how life was, back in the days before electricity came about.

• Sell your old outdoor spot light, and invest in a solar-powered alternative – my husband and I recently bought a motion sensor solar powered spot light, and are very impressed with how bright it is.

Let us know how you’ll be spending your time during Earth Hour (which will be taking place on Saturday the 31^st of March from 20:30- 21:30pm local time). Whether you’ll be braaing with family and friends, telling stories, making shadow puppets for your children, or perhaps using the opportunity to go to bed early, and awake refreshed for the new day.

Main image courtesy of  Cornelia Kopp (Creative Commons)