MAIN Science Environmental Sciences Earth Hour 2012

Earth Hour is a global event that takes place on Saturday, March 31, 2012 from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time in cities around the world.

During Earth Hour, millions of individuals and businesses will turn off their lights for one hour, demonstrating that by working together, we can all make a difference in the fight against global warming.

Earth Hour is a WWF initiative that has grown from a single event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. The inaugural Earth Hour observance resulted in a 10.2 percent energy reduction in Sydney alone, the equivalent of taking 48,000 cars off the road.

The movement has since grown into a global phenomenon that,in 2012, will occur across six continents and in more than 4,000 cities and towns worldwide.

Earth Hour 2012

During Earth Hour 2012, some of America's most famous skylines, including those in Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco, will go dark for one hour in a dramatic call for action on climate change.

Earth Hour also helps to raise awareness of household energy consumption and what we can do to help reduce, reuse, recycle.

This year, with the growing number of international cities participating, Earth Hour is poised to become the largest voluntary power down in history.

How you can help - Earth Hour activities

A block party, candlelight dinner, or a neighborhood parade are just some of the ways you bring friends and neighbors together to celebrate Earth Hour.

Also e-mail colleagues and employers to tell them about what you are doing, and request that they help spread the word, as well.

Get local schools involved in the effort by alerting your local PTA, school principals and teachers to ask how they might help in teaching community children the importance of Earth Hour, and how it brings awareness of energy conservation to millions of people around the world.

More about Earth Hour around the Web

On the Web, learn more about Earth Hour and what you can do in your city to help raise awareness about global warming, energy conservation, along with steps everybody can take right now to make the planet more liveable :

Earth Hour 2012 - The official site, with the complete schedule of cities going dark this year plus information on related concerts, events and happenings worldwide

WWF Australia - The initiative Down Under that started it all, with information on other ways to act or volunteer to protect and preserve the natural environment.

Earth Hour - Wikipedia - Excellent overview with a complete history that led up to the event, information on how it grew and the current movement along with related references and resources.

Toronto Star - Earth Hour News, Photos & Video - Complete coverage featuring the latest news and related Go Green reports and feature stories within Canada and worldwide.

Earth Hour/twitter - Who's twittering about this year's Earth Hour events.

also see -> Earth Day | Go Green Kids Projects | Home Energy Savings