This year’s edition of the World Earth Hour initiative will take place in digital format: the meeting is scheduled for 08:30PM on Saturday, March 28.
The event, which has already welcomed by 150 million people from 187 countries, is an initiative of the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF). It began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, when 2.2 million people and more than 2000 companies turned off their lights for an hour in a stance against climate change.
In the following years several countries associated themselves with the initiative and we soon saw several monuments around the world, such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Coliseum in Rome, the CN Tower in Toronto or the Eiffel Tower in Paris, going dark as a symbol of hope for a cause that was becoming increasingly urgent in any part of the world.
In Portugal the beginning was somewhat timid: in the first years we heard about Earth Hour in brief news, then some cities and more active councils started to do some actions and now, in 2020, there are more than 100 municipalities adhering.
The main objective of the event is to inspire individuals, companies and organizations in any way to renew their commitment to the planet. In recent years, Earth Hour has inspired participation in several environmental initiatives, helping to create awareness and, consequently, action and political change. A protected marine area of 3.5 million hectares in Argentina, a forest of 2700 hectares in Uganda, or the passing of new legislation for the protection of the seas and forests in Russia were some of the high points that this movement helped to achieve.
This year, due to the current situation with COVID-19, the XIII edition of Earth Hour is to be digitally celebrated on our balconies and under the slogan “Turn off the Light. It’s going to be all right”. Several countries around the world are organizing virtual events in order to preserve public health and Portugal it will be no different.
A painting session, a candlelight dinner or a yoga session are some of the things that the WWF and the ANP – Associação Natureza Portugal suggest we do to make the best of this time. Thus, between 8:30pm and 9:30pm we are all invited, whether we are in Lisbon, Porto or Faro, to turn off the lights and reflect on all the positive things that nature brings us, thus showing our support for sustainable environmentalism.