Earth Hour was a success around the world!
On Saturday March 31, 2012 between 8:30PM – 9:30PM people across Canada in 511 cities joined millions around the world in participating in Earth Hour. In its fifth year, Earth Hour continued to grow, spreading across over 152 countries in more than 6,700 cities, towns and municipalities – showing once again that we are on the same team and together, we can inspire action on climate change.
Thank you for being part of it! The stories we've heard from families, businesses and community events are fantastic. From candlelit board games to lantern walks, check them out on Facebook. Will you add your own story?
For the first time ever, hundreds of Canadians also contributed lyrics to our crowd-sourced Team Earth Hour anthem, which was performed live in Toronto by the talented composer Andrew Huang.
Want your own copy to sing any time you want to give the planet a musical hug? Download the song on iTunes now! 70% of the proceeds from every download will support WWF’s efforts to address global threats, conserve species at risk, and protect threatened habitats. If you’d like to download the lyrics, you can find them on our website.
More action! Earth Hour raises awareness about climate change issues but there's more to it than switching off lights for one hour once a year. Join our Living Planet Communityfor tips on green living and take some of our eco challenges.
Earth Hour shows how great things can be achieved when people come together for a common cause. We hope that you'll take this inspiration with you throughout the whole year.
Thank you for being part of it! The stories we've heard from families, businesses and community events are fantastic. From candlelit board games to lantern walks, check them out on Facebook. Will you add your own story?
For the first time ever, hundreds of Canadians also contributed lyrics to our crowd-sourced Team Earth Hour anthem, which was performed live in Toronto by the talented composer Andrew Huang.
Want your own copy to sing any time you want to give the planet a musical hug? Download the song on iTunes now! 70% of the proceeds from every download will support WWF’s efforts to address global threats, conserve species at risk, and protect threatened habitats. If you’d like to download the lyrics, you can find them on our website.
So what's next?
More action! Earth Hour raises awareness about climate change issues but there's more to it than switching off lights for one hour once a year. Join our Living Planet Community
Earth Hour shows how great things can be achieved when people come together for a common cause. We hope that you'll take this inspiration with you throughout the whole year.
Why Get Involved?
Because our future depends on it!
There are a multitude of things that divide people: gender, nationality, race, political and religious beliefs to name a few. But when it comes to fighting climate change, it doesn’t matter who we are or where we’re from – we’re all on the same team.That’s important to understand, because to combat an issue as big as climate change, the planet needs us all. And the more people that work together, the less daunting that task will become.
Earth Hour has done a lot to raise awareness about climate change issues. But there’s more to it than switching off lights for one hour once a year. It’s all about giving people, like you, a voice and working together to create a better future for our planet. It has ushered in a new era with participants going beyond the hour to commit to lasting action for the planet. Without a doubt, it’s shown how great things can be achieved when people come together for a common cause.
© Patrick Doyle / WWF-Canada Blog
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History of Earth Hour
Earth Hour is organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. It showed that everyone, from children to CEOs and politicians, has the power to change the world we live in.
In 2008, the plan was to spread Earth Hour to the rest of Australia but there was an appetite to expand the movement beyond that country’s borders. Canada’s own City of Toronto was the first to sign up and it wasn’t long before 35 countries and almost 400 cities and towns followed suit. It said something compelling to the world: that the climate challenges facing our planet are so significant that change needs to be global.
With the invitation to ‘switch off’ extended to everyone, WWF’s Earth Hour quickly became an annual global event. It’s scheduled on the last Saturday of every March – closely coinciding with the equinox to ensure most cities are in darkness as it rolls out around the Earth.
In 2008, the plan was to spread Earth Hour to the rest of Australia but there was an appetite to expand the movement beyond that country’s borders. Canada’s own City of Toronto was the first to sign up and it wasn’t long before 35 countries and almost 400 cities and towns followed suit. It said something compelling to the world: that the climate challenges facing our planet are so significant that change needs to be global.
With the invitation to ‘switch off’ extended to everyone, WWF’s Earth Hour quickly became an annual global event. It’s scheduled on the last Saturday of every March – closely coinciding with the equinox to ensure most cities are in darkness as it rolls out around the Earth.
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