The World Wildlife Fund (WWF for short) is an international organization whose work is focused on research related to the conservation and restoration of the natural environment. In 2007 in Australia, the Foundation, together with The Sydney Morning Herald tabloid, organized the first event to draw attention to the uncontrolled waste of the planet’s resources. The following year, a huge number of countries and cities around the world joined it. And in 2009, the action became the largest in the history of mankind – more than a billion people on the planet took part in it. Earth Hour came to Our Country in 2009.
What is Earth Hour
WWF in 2004 drew attention to scientific research on planetary climate change and, with the help of an advertising agency, decided to involve as many people as possible in solving this problem. And by 2005, an idea was developed, which was implemented in the form of a campaign with a blackout for one hour. Then it was called “The Big Click”, but in 2006 it was changed to “Earth Hour” to de-emphasize the simple turning off of the light and increase attention to the problems of the entire planet.
The first action, held in Sydney, was attended by about 2,2 million residents and 2100 organizations.
But already in 2008, 35 countries and more than 400 cities joined the Earth Hour. Then the illumination of many famous buildings and monuments around the world was turned off (Sydney Opera House, Coliseum, Golden Gate Bridge, Willis Tower and others). After the end of the campaign, it was found through surveys that the growth of interest in climate change problems increased by 4% among the inhabitants of the planet.
In 2009, 74 countries already participated in the action, and Our Country joined at the same time. In Moscow, the lighting of such important buildings as Moscow State University, the mayor’s office, the Kievsky railway station, the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences was turned off, and commercial organizations also joined – IKEA, the Baltika brewing company in St. Petersburg and clubs, where they held concerts by candlelight at that time.
In 2010, the lights went out at such sites as the Hermitage, the Palace Bridge, the Alexander Nevsky Bridge, the building of the Administration of St. Petersburg and many others.
Every year, more and more people took part in this action, and in 2017 the Earth Hour was recognized as a record in terms of the number of participants. In Our Country, this year was declared the Year of Ecology.
Earth Hour will take place in 2023 March 25, on Saturday, at 20:30. It is held on the penultimate or last Saturday of March. Each year, the action has a theme, within which everyone can share environmental problems in their region and find out what exactly they can do to save the Earth.
Traditions
Every year during the Earth Hour in all participating countries and cities, the illumination of monuments, municipal and commercial institutions and other organizations participating in the action is turned off. Anyone can become a participant – for this you also need to turn off the electricity in your house or apartment for one hour, as a sign of your concern for the resources of the Earth.
On this day, flash mobs are organized, where everyone gathers to express their support, environmental initiatives are discussed, lectures are given on the state of natural resources and threats, as well as what each of us can do to save the planet.
The Earth Hour action is also pursued by critics who believe that it is impossible to reduce electricity consumption in an hour, and the power surge resulting from a massive blackout creates a load that negatively affects the operation of power plants. But the creators emphasize that saving electricity is not an end in itself, but the action is symbolic, calling for uniting people in the struggle to preserve natural resources and to solve the problems that have arisen.
How else can you help the planet
1. Dispose of garbage properly. Separate all household waste to make it easier to recycle. Find out about the nearest collection points for batteries and mercury lamps, do not throw them in the regular garbage, otherwise they will end up in a landfill and decompose for many years, poisoning the earth. Toxic waste also includes paint, engine oil and many others that must be properly disposed of at special landfills.
2. Save water. Fresh water on the planet contains only 2,5-3% of the total. By spending water uneconomically, you reduce the already small reserves. Remember that there are many places in the world where the amount of fresh water is limited. For example, many Africans have to live with only five, and sometimes even one liter of water per day. Despite the fact that for all household needs a person needs an average of about twenty liters per day.
Turn off the water when you wash dishes, brush your teeth, check for leaks, replace old plumbing, and only use dishwashers and washing machines when they are fully loaded, avoiding wasting such an important resource.
Identify those who pollute water bodies, join environmental organizations – by doing so, you can save entire settlements!
3. Replace your car with a bike. After all, emissions pollute the air. The less you drive, the more you help the environment. In addition, cycling has a positive effect on health.
4. Avoid toxic household chemicals. It is poorly washed off and enters the soil, remaining there for many years, poisoning it, affecting the decline in the development of flora and fauna. Find an alternative to popular products from safer ingredients, make your own cosmetics from natural ingredients, and get rid of weeds in the old proven way without using pesticide sprayers.
5. Fight plastic. Do not buy bags at the supermarket every time, go with your bag made of natural materials. Do not use disposable plastic utensils. In some countries, they launched a real fight against plastic and introduced bans on the use of such utensils and bags. The biggest piece of waste we throw away is packaging, so try to buy items packaged in simple single-layer packaging, or better still, stick to shopping in stores where you can put everything in your reusable container, thereby reducing the amount of packaging thrown away to a minimum.
6. Help nature. Plant trees, prevent vandalism in relation to nature, participate as a volunteer in environmental campaigns, clean up your garbage after your holidays, teach children to take care of the planet’s resources. When everyone understands their responsibility to the future of the Earth, only then will we be able to help nature by jointly starting to fight the problems that are only growing now.
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