Every year, Earth Hour is observed on the last Saturday of March by millions of people across the globe to raise awareness about climate change and energy conservation.
Millions of people take part in the worldwide event of ‘Earth Hour’ and switch off all lights and electric appliances at their homes and offices for an hour. The event calls for switching off lights and spending 60 minutes doing something positive for the planet.
This year, Earth Hour will be observed today (March 25) from 8:30pm to 9:30pm local time. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) organises the event to mobilize the masses to ‘Give an Hour for Earth’ and show support and solidarity towards climate change and energy conservation.
The ‘Earth Hour’ event was first introduced as a symbolic lights-out event on March 31, 2007, by the WWF Sydney, Australia at 7:30 pm. Since then, the event’s popularity has increased, and it has been held every year on the last Saturday of the month of March.
Hundreds of celebrities and influencers have extended support for the noble awareness programme.
Renowned sand artist and Padma Shri awardee Sudarsan Pattnaik also lent his support as the Goodwill Ambassador for Earth Hour India 2023 by dedicating his sand art installation. Through his sand art, Pattnaik appealed to his followers to join the biggest hour for the earth and switch off all the non-essential lights on 25th March from 8:30pm to 9:30pm.
Similarly, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spread awareness on Twitter and wrote, “Earth Hour is a call to massively increase climate action and a reminder that all of us can play our part. I invite you to switch off your lights for an hour on March 25 at 8:30pm local time – wherever you are. Every minute and every hour counts.”