Switching off the lights means showing your commitment to the planet—and switching on the fun at home.
Now in its 16th lights-out, Earth Hour will take place on Saturday, March 26, 2022, at 8:30 p.m. local time. Millions of people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour to show their steadfast commitment to protecting nature. Together we’ll speak up for wildlife and forests. We’ll show our support for rivers and oceans. And we’ll rally around crucial actions needed to curb climate change.
Every action we take impacts life around us and even small actions at home can help the planet at large. And for many, turning off the lights also means turning up the fun in new and interesting ways, consider the lights-out hour as an opportunity to enjoy quality time with family and friends and celebrate your role in this global movement.
Why is Earth Hour Important?
Earth Hour is an annual, global event organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), in which people around the world shut their lights off for one hour in honor of planet Earth. In the darkness (or near-darkness — lighting a candle or keeping a lamp on for safety is encouraged), participants can engage in a number of nature-inspired activities or take action on climate issues.
Earth Hour was founded in 2007, when more than 2.2 million Australians participated in the inaugural event in Sydney, Australia. The organizers turned the event into an annual one, which is now celebrated in over 185 countries and territories, according to the Earth Hour website. And the 2022 Earth Hour will be the 16th annual Earth Hour — and hopefully the biggest yet despite the ongoing pandemic.
What you can do to honor the planet in the Dark
Unfortunately, this year marks the second annual Earth Hour taking place during the coronavirus pandemic. For that reason, the Earth Hour team recommends all participants either do Earth Hour at home, virtually or outdoors in a safe setting while adhering to local COVID-19 guidelines, such as social distancing and wearing a mask.
Read: Celebrate Earth Hour: Go Green in Your Vista Residences Condo
Stay in
If you’ll be staying in, here are some indoor Earth Hour activities you can do — either by yourself, with your family, with your quarantine pod, or anyone in between:
- Attend an official Earth Hour event, whether virtual or safely in-person — many of which are detailed on Earth Hour’s website.
- Have a late candlelit dinner.
- After your Passover Seder, hold your afikoman search in the dark.
- Play Sardines (aka reverse hide and seek).
- Host your own Earth Hour live stream for your social media friends and followers — Earth Hour has a few suggestions on the website.
- Do some candlelit yoga or meditation.
- Journal.
- Set an Earth-related resolution — maybe you want to use less single-use plastic, eat more plant-based, or get involved in climate action over the next year.
- Go stargazing.
- Pick up trash around your neighborhood (as long as it’s well-lit).
- Spread the message: On March 27, Earth Hour will be sharing a “must-watch” video known as the “Earth Hour Virtual Spotlight” on its social media pages, which the organization is encouraging people to share the video to their own Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook pages. Earth Hour hopes the video will become the most-watched video on Earth that day.
Reconnect with nature
Earth Hour in the Philippines is celebrated with various activities to honor the planet. If you can and local quarantine guidelines allow you to, reconnecting with nature is the best way to pay tribute. Nature doesn’t only provide us with clean air, water, and food - nature is essential for our health and happiness! So spend the Hour outside with friends and family (we guarantee a great night’s sleep afterward!). Here are a few things you can do:
- Explore your nearby parks, beaches, or other natural spaces.
- Go “forest bathing” - no, you don’t have to bring soap or a towel!
- Go on a night hike
- Have young ones? Go camping or stargazing! - tons of mountains and valleys are worth exploring all over the Philippines
To ensure your safety when outdoors at night, bring a flashlight, phone, and let others know where you are going beforehand, and don’t forget to follow local quarantine protocols and guidelines.
Candle Lit Dinners
Candle-lit dinners aren’t just for Valentine's Day! Dine in the dark this Earth Hour and cook up some planet-friendly dishes.
- Be inspired by some sustainable recipes.
- Challenge yourself to cook up a meal where nothing gets wasted or get creative with leftovers.
- Make it a time challenge and see who can create the best dish within 60 minutes.
- Have young ones? They can help choose the ingredients or get involved in making dinner!
Please ensure you are following local COVID-19 guidelines if you are meeting friends or family outside your home.
Spend some quality time with your loved ones.
Stay in and use the Hour to spend some quality time with those who matter most to you - a fantastic opportunity to create special memories and be close to the people you’re trying to shape a brighter future for. You can:
- Watch a movie together! Bonus points for movies set in nature or nature documentaries like Our Planet (which is completely free to watch on Youtube!).
- Call a friend or family member you haven’t met in person for a while. See how they're doing and invite them to spend the Hour with you virtually.
- Play board games, cook, listen to music, sing karaoke, or dance the night away together.
- Got young ones? Read a book together in the candlelight!
Up your knowledge
Awareness is the first step before action. Use the Hour to learn more about our incredible planet, the challenges we face, and what we need to do to turn things around.
- Discover how to be sustainable in your day-to-day life.
- Learn about nature loss and climate change
- Watch nature documentaries! Don’t have Netflix? No problem - Award-winning documentaries like Our Planet are completely free to watch on YouTube! And did we mention it's narrated by David Attenborough?
- Tune in to a podcast! For example, our friends at WWF have a great series called Forces of Nature.
- Have young ones? Help them do fascinating science experiments about the natural world.
If you are thinking of moving into a new condominium, check out Vista Residences!
Vista Residences is the condominium arm of the country’s largest homebuilder, Vista Land & Lifescapes, Inc. that offers ready for occupancy and pre-selling condominium projects in Manila, Makati, Mandaluyong, Quezon City, Ortigas, Baguio, Cebu, and CDO that are strategically located within major cities, in close proximity to premium universities, transit-oriented locations, and developed business districts.
For more information on Vista Residences, email [email protected], follow @VistaResidencesOfficial on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, or call the Marketing Office at 0999 886 4262 / 0917 582 5167.
