Earth Hour: Saturday 22 March, 8:30pm to 9:30pm
It’s that time of the year when we turn off our lights for one hour. Individuals, schools and large global businesses flick their switches off in an act of solidarity with all those who are committed to caring for our common home.
From the perspective of mathematics, this is a puny gesture, equal to 1/8,760th of 2025 and comes without any real cost benefits. This cascading wave of darkness is a reminder of the global imperative of mindful small-scale practices, and of the urgency of large-scale change through the adoption of sound policy, international laws, treaties and economic justice. The simple act of turning off the lights for one hour sends a powerful message to governments and corporations about the volume of public support for action and change.
The intent of Earth Hour stretches across the whole year and draws our attention to the year-round efforts of billions of people and countless organisations who work for sustainability and environmental conservation. Each darkened building, suburban street, CBD, shopping centre and township, combine to create the biggest hour of Earth.
Earth Hour gives everyone the opportunity of being an armchair activist and to participate in the world’s biggest environmental action.
You can register your intention to switch off your home, organisation or school on the Earth Hour website: www.earthhour.org.au/switch-off
Sr Mary-Ann Casanova PhD
Project Officer – Josephite Explore~Embrace~Embody Laudato Si’ Action Plan