To say that Earth Hour is merely a holiday would be grossly underestimating its impact and scope. Earth Hour is a worldwide one-hour event that occurs every year near the end of March. The purpose of this hour on this day is to unite people all across the globe in their effort to save the planet. This event was created by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and encourages people to turn off their non-essential electric components as well as their lights.

The WWF hopes that if people practice this event for that one hour per year, they will think about their energy consumption more and make an effort to use less energy.

The History of Earth Hour

The event was originally started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia. However, once it was observed in that city, it quickly spread across the rest of the world. It’s now observed in thousands of different towns and engages millions of supporters. In 2013, Argentina used Earth Hour to get a bill passed in their Senate that would protect over 3 million hectares of marine area.

On Sunday, March 29, 2015, 172 countries participated in the event and switched off the lights on over 10,000 of the most iconic landmarks for one hour. That year also saw almost 50,000 different celebrations all over the world – all bringing attention to climate change and the need for energy reforms.

Fun Facts About Earth Hour

Want to know a little bit more about Earth Hour? If you do, then read on because we’ve created a buffet of factoids that we think everyone will appreciate. So, if you want to learn a little bit more about Earth Hour, then pull up a chair and enjoy what we’re going to lay down.

• In 2010, electricity demand fell by over half a million kWh during Earth Hour in Vietnam.
• In 2010, over 126 countries participated in Earth Hour.
• Over four thousand cities participated in Earth Hour in 2010. This included landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower, and the Forbidden City.
• In 2011, the event took place in over 5,250+ cities spread out across 135 countries and territories.
• In 2013, Earth Hour was changed to March 23rd that year to avoid coinciding with Holy Saturday.

Facts About Energy Usage

We’ve also decided to list some of the things that we learned about how energy is consumed in the U.S. and around the world. Let’s take a quick look at these facts before we move on to Earth Hour customs and traditions.

• Approximately 26% of the world’s energy is used by Americans.
• Over 18% of total emissions in America come from the operation of individual homes.
• The demand for electricity in the United States grows by approximately 3% every year.
• Washing clothes at 140 degrees Fahrenheit uses twice the amount of energy as washing clothes at 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Approximately 90% of the energy in traditional light bulbs is wasted as heat.
• Approximately 10% of the energy that Americans use is used for lighting.

Earth Hour Customs & Traditions

On Earth Hour, everyone who is participating turns off their lights and other electric devices for one hour. However, this isn’t the only way the event is celebrated. It is also celebrated by participants raising attention to ecological-based problems such as pollution and climate change.

This is done by using Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites to get the word out to as many people as possible. Participants are encouraged to not only use social media to advance these causes but also to actively take a hands-on approach to the problems facing this planet.