March 29 — Earth Hour campaign: why do people turn off the lights on this day
Every year at the end of March, a large-scale environmental action "Earth Hour" takes place around the world. On this day, the lights on monuments, municipal and historical buildings and other significant sites are turned off for 60 minutes. Izvestia tells us what the essence of this action is and what it is known for.
Earth Hour campaign 2025 — what date
Earth Hour is traditionally held on the last Saturday of March. Thus, in 2025, the promotion falls on March 29. It will start at 20:30 local time in all time zones and will last until 21:30.
Earth Hour campaign in 2025 — history
In 2004, the Australian representative office of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF, recognized as a foreign agent in Russia, listed as an undesirable organization in the Russian Federation) decided to draw public attention to climate and environmental issues. To do this, the organization decided to create an event that will be able to interest people in preserving the environment.
The following year, WWF introduced the "Big Click" campaign, in which participants were asked to turn off the electricity in the house for an hour. The event was held in Sydney, attended by more than 2.2 million Australians and about 2.1 thousand enterprises. In 2006, the name of the campaign was changed to Earth Hour in order to shift the focus from simply turning off the lights to what benefits everyone's efforts can bring to the environment.
Soon other countries joined the Australian "flash mob". In 2008, more than 400 cities in 35 countries were briefly plunged into darkness. Then, in the United States, the floodlights on the Golden Gate Bridge and the Empire State Building went out. The Italian authorities turned off the illumination of the Colosseum, the Royal Palace in Sweden was left without light, and in Thailand, darkness enveloped the Buddhist temple of Wat Arun.
By 2009, 74 countries, including Russia, had participated in the campaign. In Moscow, the campaign was launched by Yuri Luzhkov, who was then mayor of the capital. He turned off the symbolic lighting switch at significant sites in the city. The lights went out in the buildings of the City Hall, Moscow State University, the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Kievsky Railway Station and in other parts of the capital. Some commercial companies also spent an hour in the dark.
In 2017, the number of Earth Hour participants worldwide was 2 billion people. This year has been declared the Year of Ecology in Russia. However, since 2023, the Russian Federation has refused to participate in the action at the official level. The reason for this was the inclusion of WWF in the register of foreign agents.
The essence of the Earth Hour campaign
The essence of the campaign is to draw the attention of people around the world to environmental problems, as well as to raise awareness of measures to combat them. This is also indicated by the Earth Hour logo — the number 60 and the plus sign. Thus, the organizers urge to take care of the planet not one hour a year, but all the time. In particular, the event calls for conscious consumption: sorting garbage, eliminating large amounts of plastic, reducing the carbon footprint, etc.
Nevertheless, many experts in the field of ecology and energy criticize the action, pointing out that it does not benefit nature and even harms it. The fact is that power grids function effectively only with stable energy consumption. Sudden ups and downs create an unnecessary workload and require additional resources to maintain work.
Opponents of the action also note that it is impossible to reduce energy consumption in an hour, since the turbines at the stations do not stop in such a short time. By continuing to idle, they still emit carbon dioxide, but they no longer produce anything.
Traditions of the Earth Hour campaign
Every year, during Earth Hour, street lights are turned off at various sites around the world, and participating cities are briefly plunged into darkness as a sign of concern for the fate of the environment. At the same time, ordinary people can participate in the action. To do this, turn off the lights in the house or apartment for 60 minutes.
In addition, various flash mobs, bike rides, and charity meetings are held on the day of the campaign. Environmental experts give lectures on nature conservation, and eco-activists talk about healthy habits that will help reduce harmful effects on the environment.
How to help the planet in 2025
To support the environment and preserve life on Earth, it is not necessary to turn off the lights or abandon the car. There are several simple ways to improve your interaction with the environment.
First of all, you should reduce the amount of plastic used. Of course, it is unlikely that this material will be completely excluded from everyday life, but you can start small: replace disposable bags with reusable bags, reuse bottles and water cans, take aluminum dishes into nature instead of disposable ones, etc.
If possible, it is worth sorting the garbage. Containers for various types of waste are located in many yards, especially in large cities. You can also find special battery collection points in supermarkets and offices for safe disposal.
Another useful habit is saving water and electricity. To do this, it is enough to turn off the lights in rooms where there is no one, use energy-saving light bulbs, unplug the chargers after use and turn off the water while brushing your teeth. These simple steps will help save not only nature, but also your personal budget by reducing utility bills.
To reduce your personal carbon footprint, you should use public transport more often. In addition, during rush hour, buses or trams are often faster and more reliable means of transportation due to traffic jams. You can also improve the well-being of your region on clean-up days and landscaping campaigns.
Earlier, Izvestia told how Environmentalist Day is celebrated in Russia and what traditions are associated with it.
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