So What is Earth Hour?

Nicole Lee

10N

Earth Hour 2011 is just around the corner! This year's Earth Hour will take place on 26th of March from 8.30pm to 9.30pm, local time. Location? AT your own house!

For those who haven't heard of Earth Hour or participated in Earth Hour before, you'll have your chance to do so in the annual event this year. In just three years, what started as a simple act in Sydney has become a global event, or some say, celebration which we all, men and women, boys and girls, participate in. With more than 128 countries, 4616 cities and towns, and approximately 1.3 billion people participating in this nationwide event, Earth Hour raises awareness about global warming and climate change.

Arguably, climate change is one of the pressing problems in our fast-paced society. So naturally, the ultimate million-dollar question is how to stop climate change, in which its adverse effects will in a way or another eventually wipe out life on Earth.

This is a symbolic event to make people environmentally aware of Earth's inevitable fate if we continue to harness Earth's resources excessively. We burn fossil fuels, we cut down forests, we pollute water, and we thin the ozone layer: if we selfishly insist to continue to do all these excessively, we will eventually lose our home.

The best thing of Earth Hour is that you don't need to be an environment-expert: you just need to turn off your lights and electrical appliances.

You'll never know how much electricity will you cut down by just switching off all electrical appliances in your household or office; you'll never know how much your insignificant little act will help in slowing down climate change; you'll never know how the simple flick of switch to 'off' when done globally can actually help build a sustainable future for our future generations.

But you can, if you turn off your lights on 26th March. Soak yourself in the magical night where we can make a change and heal Mother Earth. Together, we can slow down climate change. Together, we can make a difference. The power is in your hands!