Earth Hour : Introduce Your Child To It

The tech-savvy world we live in today, gives very little or no opportunity for kids to understand and know about Mother Nature and her problems. Gone are the days when kids headed out to play. Today, ask any mother and she is sure to crib about her child’s Paw Patrol or Spiderman addiction. Sadly, this is the state today.

However, its not too late yet. March gives you a special reason to raise your kids to be environmentally conscious. With the Earth Hour fast approaching, here’s all that your little one must know about this global movement.

What Is The Earth Hour?

Earth hour is one of the best environmental initiatives started off in 2007 in Sydney, Australia. The movement was started in order to spread awareness about saving energy and thereby other environmental issues. It is an annual global event organized by WWF (World Wild Fund for Nature) encouraging the young and the old in homes, communities, offices and schools to turn off the lights, showing their support for a fight against climate change and a better planet. Every year, on the last Saturday of March, millions of people choose to turn off the lights from 8:30 to 9:30 pm, showing their support and commitment to the planet. This year the Earth hour falls on 24th March 2018.

Why Is Earth Hour Important?

With the excitement of Earth hour coming up, you might be wondering what the very purpose of Earth Hour is. How will turning off the lights for one hour on one particular day alone will make all the difference? Well, Earth hour is more than just that. Here are five reasons why Earth Hour is so powerful:

1. It creates awareness

   The rapid consumption of fossil fuels has caused a whole lot of harm to the environment. Global warming, climate change, soil, air and water pollution, and deforestation are some of the problems environmentalists are trying hard to solve lately. In 2015, 82 million Earth Hour videos were watched between January and March, and 7.8 million digital Earth Hour interactions took place between March 27th and 29th alone (that’s a lot of tweets!)

2. It is a global initiative

   Although the Earth hour was started off in Australia, it has become a widespread movement, so much so that over 172 countries until today, go dark on that day for that one hour

3. It brings people together

   No one likes to sit alone in the dark. Whether you get together with friends, family or neighbours, that one hour brings us together and reminds us that we need to join hands to solve climate change

Earth Hour Celebration

With over 172 countries taking part in the initiative, Earth Hour has become more of a celebration than a mere movement. And there are many ways through which you can participate in the Earth Hour celebration. Apart from turning off the lights and gadgets, mass candlelit vigils are organized throughout several communities, events and sponsors put on performances and events in order to promote the event, and much more.

Also Read: Teach Your Child The Significance Of 3Rs Of The Environment

Earth Hour Highlights

Well, you definitely know Earth Hour is celebrated on the last Saturday of March every year from 8:30 – 9:30 pm. But that is not all! Here are some facts you must know.

• The first Earth Hour event witnessed more than 2.2 million individuals and 2,000 businesses
• Earth Hour 2012 took place in more than 7001 cities and towns in 152 countries and territories across all seven continents
• Earth Hour 2012 saw hundreds of millions of people switching their lights off for an hour and the campaign experienced its biggest growth since 2009
• The standard Earth Hour '60' logo represents the 60 minutes of Earth Hour. The new ‘60+’ logo represents a commitment to continue to do positive eco-acts that go beyond Earth Hour

How Can Your Kid Become Eco-Friendly?

‘Lights off’ can be a pretty cool experience for kids, but why wait for that one day every year? Here are simple things that will make your child environmentally conscious.

• Reduce waste and recycle all reusable materials
• Turn off the lights and fans when they leave a room
• Use water smartly and sparingly
• Open windows and use less air conditioners
• Save and re-plant trees

Mark your calendars and don’t forget to do your bit to make our Earth a better place.

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