The largest campaign in history. For the planet.

Hold it right there. Before you get wrapped up in the holiday craze, mark your calendar for Earth Hour: 8.30pm, Saturday 26th March 2011.

“In under four short years, Earth Hour has become the largest campaign in history for the planet. It has grown from one city, one country to over 128 countries and territories in 2010. Earth Hour — By The People, For The Planet.

If you can achieve this, imagine what else can be done.” ~WWF

Last year, Individuals and businesses throughout the US–and across the globe–signed on to support Earth Hour. Even U.S. monuments “turned out” for the planet including:

• Mount Rushmore
• Empire State Building
• Harrah’s Caesar Palace
• MGM Mirage on the Las Vegas Strip
• San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge
• Montezuma Castle National Monument in AZ
• Soldiers and Sailors Monuments in Indianapolis

saveourclimate

What’s the point?

How could turning off our lights for one hour, on one evening, possibly make a dent in climate change? Earth Hour is symbolic. “… a way for people across the US to join together with people from throughout the world to signal their concern about climate change and send a message about the urgent need for action,” says WWF Climate Director Keya Chatterjee.

“Earth Hour is the perfect time to teach children about climate change and the steps they can take from a very early age to help reduce their footprint on the environment,” said Philip Schumacher, CEO of Goddard Systems, Inc., a national childcare franchise and national supporter of Earth Hour 2010. “As educators and parents, we need to raise a future generation that will care for the Earth and protect it for generations to come.”

“With a simple flick of the switch, Americans will not only be sending a signal that they want solutions to the climate crisis, but they’ll be helping to turn the lights out on our nation’s dangerous dependency on foreign oil, and an unsustainable economic future,” Chatterjee said. “That’s a powerful message that everyone around the world will be able to see bright and clear on March 27th.”

Mila Zinkova

Be there.

Let the world leaders how many millions of us “Vote Earth” and support the fight to combat climate change.

And please spread the word. Share this article with your friends and family, tweet about it, write to your newspaper’s editor.

For more information, visit WWF.

Make it a tradition.

Last year, together with my husband and son, I watched the sun go down from the comfort of the living room and didn’t turn on any lights for the rest of the evening. In fact, we unplugged everything. Our evening consisted of lighting candles (say no to paraffin candles–they’re made from petroleum, pollute the air, and, well, kind of defeat the purpose), board games, talking… and then early to bed (an evening without lights is quite relaxing).

Maybe you’d rather host a big party (serve organic food and drinks), organize a community candlelight vigil (be sure to use eco-friendly candles!) or, if there are no kids around, enjoy a romantic candlelight dinner. Tell your neighbors and co-workers. Ask your employer or city to participate!

Get even more involved by joining (or starting your own) Earth Hour event on Facebook,

About the author.
The founder of myEARTH360.com (a proud sponsor of The Antarctica Challenge documentary film) plus the I Count for myEARTH blog and campaign, Lynn is also a contributing editor to a number of online environment focused publications. You can find her on twitter and Facebook. Guaranteed. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, son and two feisty cats; and considers herself an environmental and human rights advocate.