At 8:30 pm on the last Saturday of March, millions of people around the world will collectively turn off their lights and power down in a symbolic gesture to raise awareness and support efforts to combat environmental issues together.
This will be another year we celebrate Earth Hour, an advocacy event for the planet. Whether you're an Earth Hour professional or a newcomer, the movement welcomes you to make it a date, a time to disconnect, and log your contribution to the collective.
Here are some of the major milestones and wins over the years since it all began on Saturday, 28 March 2007.
What is Earth Hour?
Earth Hour is a global event where homes and businesses worldwide switch off nonessential lights and appliances for an hour as a symbolic commitment to protecting the planet from climate change and natural disasters. Earth Hour is one of the world's largest grassroots environmental movements, which began in Sydney, Australia, in 2007 and later grew into something extraordinary. The initial movement saw 2.2 million homes and businesses commit to the initiative by turning off all the lights and electric appliances for an hour to show just how many people stand for protecting the environment. Now, almost two decades later, that first action has had a ripple effect worldwide, becoming a global wave of action.
Earth Hour is organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and is officially celebrated annually on the last Saturday of March from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm, local time. 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of this initiative, with the theme "Give an Hour to Earth" to encourage individuals, communities, and organizations to devote one hour to actions that are protective of Earth and its natural environment.
Earth Hour is a moment when the whole world pauses, dims its lights, and says, "We care about this planet" together.
Why does Earth Hour matter?
Earth Hour is a reminder for businesses, individuals, and communities to pause for an hour and reflect on our individual and collective impact on the planet through our lifestyles. In 2025, this collective action made a big wave, participants from 118 countries and territories dedicated nearly 3 million hours to the Earth, using the hashtag #earthhour, which was trending in 31 countries. There were river cleanups in Cambodia, symphony performances for nature in Germany, and now people everywhere are taking symbolic steps to initiate collective actions.
The world is experiencing record breaking heat waves, a plastic crisis, and mass deforestation, and many solutions are needed. It’s ever more pressing for people to come together and show they care and are willing to take action.
Severe weather changes are happening now, disrupting normal life patterns, which in turn affect the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. Earth Hour provides an opportunity for everyday people to feel the power of collective action and encourages businesses and communities to consider the long term actions needed that go far beyond 60 minutes of powering down.
When was the last time you did something connecting you to hundreds of millions of people in the exact same moment? Well, this is your chance.
How to participate in Earth Hour
Joining Earth Hour is easy. The main thing to do is turn off your nonessential lights and appliances from 8:30 to 9:30 pm on the last Saturday of March, and then enjoy the hour by doing something you love. Have a candlelit dinner, a walk under the stars, whatever you do, enjoy a quiet (or loud) evening without power for one hour.
Want to kick up the action? While the lights are off, choose to refill your PATH bottle. It sounds like a small thing to do, but that's exactly the point. Single use plastics are another urgent environmental crisis. U.S. residents alone purchased more than 70 billion single use plastic water bottles, and 86% were disposed of after only one use. Less than 9% of plastics are recycled globally, and the rest ends up in landfills, rivers, and oceans, destroying habitats, infiltrating our food chains, and ultimately entering our bodies as microplastics.
Choosing to refill your PATH or any reusable bottle is something anyone can do. With each person reusing their PATH bottle multiplied by a million people, the number will be undeniable. If you use an aluminum bottle, recycling aluminum saves 95% of the energy required for primary aluminum production, and it can be recycled multiple times without losing quality. Actually, around 75% of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today.
You can also share your experience on social media and inspire others both before and after Earth Hour to grow the movement.
Switch on better habits and #refillit on Earth Hour
Earth Hour is our opportunity to show just how much small actions, when done together, can make big changes. EVERY last Saturday of March is your invitation to be a part of something bigger than yourself. Why not make it count the most?
Here are those quick Earth Hour steps one last time.
1. Participate in Earth Hour by switching off the lights for one hour.
2. Pledge to refill your reusable bottle, like your PATH bottle.
3. Share your #EarthHour experience and tag a friend on social media showing what you did for an hour to make an impact and inspire others to join.
The planet needs participation, like switching off the lights and adopting better habits, like refilling your PATH bottle.
Happy Earth Hour!!!
Resources
https://www.earthhour.org/
https://brilliantsourceenergy.com/earth-hour-a-global-movement-for-a-sustainable-future/
https://www.worldwildlife.org/support/campaigns/gah/give-an-hour-for-earth/
https://www.wwf.org.uk/earth-hour
https://www.earthhour.org/about/milestones
https://drinkpathwater.com/blogs/news/why-aluminum-recycling-is-the-most-important-material-for-the-economy-and-the-environment
https://peri.umass.edu/publication/the-economics-of-eliminating-plastic-water-bottles-in-the-united-states/
https://enkingint.org/6-reasons-why-earth-hour-is-important/
https://www.oecd.org/en/about/news/press-releases/2022/02/plastic-pollution-is-growing-relentlessly-as-waste-management-and-recycling-fall-short.html