Earth Hour 2013: I Will If You Will

Dare the world to save the planet

Earth Hour 2013 continues where 2012 left off and urges the world’s population to go beyond the hour, with pledges and dares to help put a stop to climate change. You can create your own challenge or you can accept someone else’s challenge to help save the planet.

Earth Hour 2013 will be held this Saturday, 23 March from 8:30pm – 9:30pm, across the globe. Earth Hour acts as a symbolic gesture of global unity in the fight against world climate change. It is an opportunity for all of us to come together to celebrate, reflect on our actions and our impact on the environment, and make a renewed commitment to preserving our planet.

We cannot continue to use the equivalent of 1.5 times the planet’s natural resources to support consumption patterns and we cannot afford to ignore the critical environmental challenges we are facing. We need to switch over to more sustainable ways of living and doing business. Our individual actions have collective impact.

In South Africa, most of our energy needs are supplied by polluting, finite sources such as coal, oil and gas. Whether it is lighting and heating our homes, charging our phones or getting from place to place, we all depend on energy. We must become aware of the kind of energy we use and the need to switch to clean, renewable energy sources such as sun, wind and water. If we embrace the power of nature rather than act against it, we can ensure sustainable energy supply into the future, while preserving the health of the planet on which we depend.

This year, WWF-SA has launched an exciting online platform of ‘Things to do in the dark’ which will offer a number of ideas for celebrating Earth Hour as well as local events around the country to choose from during the special hour of darkness.

Switch off your lights during Earth Hour and switch over to sustainable ways of living beyond the hour.

Earth Hour 2013 Events

There are a host of activities happening across South Africa this year, including a picnic under the stars at Steenberg’s Bistro162, a moonlight meander on Muizenberg beach and a black (out) coffee experience and art exhibition at Haas in the Bo Kaap. Click here for a full list of what’s going down when the lights go out in your city. Get some mates together and make an evening out of it, the more the merrier I say, especially in the dark!

The Live Eco team encourages everyone to celebrate Earth Hour, whether out and about or at home: maybe a braai with friends, a candlelit dinner with a loved one or hosting a neighbourhood stargazing picnic? What will you be doing on Saturday, 23 March at 8:30pm, when the lights are turned off in your home?