What To Do For Earth Hour This Weekend

1. Reconnect with nature

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 afterwards!). 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!

To ensure your safety when outdoors at night, bring a flashlight, phone, and let others know where you are going beforehand.

2. Cook up a meal with your family or friends

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 here or here. You can also check out this list of 50 foods for a healthier planet and a healthier you!
• Challenge yourself to cook up a meal where nothing gets wasted or get creative with leftovers - here are a few ideas. 
• 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.

3. Spend 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!

4. 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 - we’ve put together 10 simple but impactful tips here. 
• Learn about nature loss and climate change - here’s a good place to start. 
• 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. Check out a few examples here and here.

5. Connect with (and give back to) your community

The challenges facing our planet can only be solved if we work together, empower each other, and create a feeling of unity.

• Attend a local Earth Hour event! We have a variety of virtual and on-the-ground events lined up all over the world - from live events hosted by local influencers and artists to guided meditation sessions and movie marathons - so you can spend the Hour with people in your city, country, and from across the globe! Check out our full list of events here.
  
• Get ready to volunteer! Find out about organizations and initiatives in your area that need the most help. For example, volunteer for park, beach, or nature-clean ups, tree-planting initiatives, the upkeep of community gardens, or for local recycling projects! You're bound to meet some amazing people while doing something worthwhile.
• Be inspired and inspire others - Read the stories of supporters like you from around the globe who are shaping a brighter future for people and the planet. Have your own story to tell? Add it to the page!

6. Get active

It’s hard to take care of our planet (and others) when we’re not taking care of ourselves! So get moving and get sweating this Earth Hour! Your body and our planet will thank you for it.

• Go on a night cycle or night run!
• Put on your favourite playlist and dance in the dark.
• Do some candle-lit yoga or listen to a guided meditation track as you do a few stretches!
• Go to your nearest park, beach, nature trail, or outdoor space and pick up any trash you find (we recommend bringing gloves, tongs, and a biodegradable rubbish bag)! You may have to get your hands dirty but you’ll leave with a clean conscience. 
• Got young ones? Make it a fun competition - whoever picks up the most trash wins a special prize!

7. Discover your artistic side

If you don’t feel like working your body, work your creative mind on the night! 

• Do some night photography or challenge yourself with “light painting” - we recommend a tripod and a slow shutter speed! Check out how to do this here.
• Upcycle something around the home or in your wardrobe.
• Have young ones? Try painting with glow-in-the-dark non-toxic neon paint.
• Write a song with lyrics about nature and our planet, or compose music using nature sounds! Need some motivation? Read this article and let Taylor Swift inspire you!

Need Some Candles?

Share your Earth Hour experience by using the hashtag #EarthHour

Also tag us @EarthHourOfficial on Instagram, @EarthHour on Facebook and @EarthHour on Twitter so we can easily share your posts and stories!