Every year since 2007, millions of people around the globe switch off their lights for one whole hour to commemorate Earth Hour and ‘shine a light’ on the need for action against climate change. This movement bridges the gap between policy and grassroots to make climate action relatable, understandable, and accessible to all.

The first Earth Hour was observed in Sydney, Australia and since then the movement has inspired and empowered millions around the world to go from being bystanders to active participants in these efforts. This year, Earth Hour will be observed from 8.30pm to 9.30pm local time on 25th March and we have 5 great reasons to observe Earth Hour this weekend:

1. Make a genuine difference

Although Earth Hour is more of a symbolic action than a full-scale carbon reduction exercise, the raised levels of awareness (see point 5) aren’t just the only benefit. A 2014 study published in Energy Research and Social Science, available on Science Direct, found some tangible effects just from that one hour:

“We compiled 274 measurements of observed changes in electricity demand caused by Earth Hour events in 10 countries, spanning six years. These events reduced electricity consumption an average of 4%, with a range of +2% (New Zealand) to −28% (Canada).

Here’s a selection of slides from earthhour.org on the real benefits of reducing your carbon footprint:

2. Enjoy extra snuggling time

Turn off the lights, grab a cosy blanket, and snuggle up with your significant other for some Netflix and chill. You can watch a documentary about the environment such as ’11th Hour’. If you’d rather stay in fantasy land, why not keep it climate change-related and watch The Day After Tomorrow, or a more general ‘Earth in peril’ film like 2012 or San Andreas. If you have a pet, snuggle up with them, too!

3. Embrace the darkness with candles and marshmallows

This is the perfect time to bring out your scented candle collection. Light ‘em up and turn your home into an exotic retreat with different scents in every room. Make sure to keep the candles away from your curtains though! By the dramatic candle light, you can play Cluedo or share ghost stories with your friends and family. You can even turn the event into a mini camp-out and roast some mini marshmallows over the candle fire!

4. Stargazing is easier

Especially for urban dwellers, you’ll be able to gaze up at the sky during Earth Hour and hopefully see a few more stars than usual without all the light pollution. Get your neighbours and local council to participate and turn off their lights (leave some streetlights on for safety, of course), grab a picnic blanket, and head to your neighbourhood park for an hour of stargazing. Pack some snacks too and have earthsky.org opened on your phone browser so you’ll know what to look for in the night sky. Is that Venus? Is it Sirius? Maybe it’s just a plane?

5. Take part in a global movement

Earth Hour measures its success by how much awareness the movement has raised. Here are some of the amazing things Earth Hour has helped accomplish so far:

• The creation of the first Earth Hour Forest in Uganda
• Passing a Senate Bill in Argentina for the protection of 3.4 million hectares of Marine Protected Area
• Installation of solar-powered lights in three villages without electricity in India
• More than 2,123 mitigation actions submitted by Earth Hour City Challenge 2014 participating cities
• WWF used the Earth Hour platform to build public support to gain an extension of the logging moratorium, helping to reduce deforestation

This is just a small fraction of what this global movement has managed to accomplish. A record-breaking 178 countries and territories took part in Earth Hour 2016, with about 12,700 participating landmarks. This year will only be bigger and better.

So by participating in Earth Hour this weekend, you are joining millions of fellow Earth citizens in this movement to save our planet and protect it for future generations. Doesn’t that just make you feel all fuzzy inside?

Again, Earth Hour 2017 will be on Saturday, 25th March from 8.30pm to 9.30pm!