Every year, at 8:30 pm on the last Saturday of March, millions of people across the world turn power down for Earth Hour.
This year Earth Hour is on 26th March.
Whether you’re new to sustainable living, or been at it for years we’ve got tools and tips to help you reduce your carbon footprint on the 26th, and beyond.
So take your pick from our list of 8 Earth Hour friendly Do Actions.
New to it
Turn off the lights and pledge Lights off
💡Zone it Unless you install smart home tech, our advice here is simple; light the room you’re in and no more.
💡Prompt it Put post its or stickers on switches to remind you to hit it when you leave a room. It’ll be habit in no time.
Find out more >
Switch off your screen and pledge Game off
Games are great but come with an ecological price tag. Completing Grand Theft Auto Vice City is the equivalent of driving 21 million miles. Swap an hour or two of gaming for one of these:
👾 Get cooking with video games recipes from nerds kitchen.
👾 Discover a new hobby website is full of ideas.
👾 This life hack article gives you 15 ways to help you read more.
👾 Find a local walk at Walkingbritian.co.uk.
Stamp out stand by and pledge Unplugged
UK households spend between 9% and 16% of their annual electricity bills on ‘standby’ energy, which costs £50-£86 a year!
👉🏾 Turn things off at the plug overnight or if you go away: lamps, chargers, gadgets and smaller kitchen appliances like microwaves and coffee machines (leave the fridge, cooker and dishwasher on).
Doing it
Optimise your computer power with PC power
🖥 Use dark mode if your device has it.
🖥 Turn down the brightness of your monitor or phone screen by a notch or two, it all adds up.
🖥 Follow these tips to set your computer to go to sleep after 5 to 20 minutes of inactivity.
🖥 Close down applications when not in use – they’ll also be draining energy and slowing your device down.
🖥 Screensavers don’t save energy – in fact, they often use more. Put your monitor to sleep instead.
Switch to LED lights and pledge Light the way
💡 Buy LEDs. They last 25 X longer than incandescent bulbs, saving you up to £75 per year.
💡 Read the Energy Savings Trust advice on choosing lightbulbs.
Done it
Downsize your digital footprint and pledge Digital diet
Everything we do or store online relies on energy intensive data centres, the carbon footprint of which is rapidly overtaking that of the airline industry. Read all our tips here, or follow these top 4:
⚡️Use wifi for downloading files or streaming. Downloading data on 4G is 23 X more energy intensive than using Wifi.
⚡️Avoid reply all.
⚡️Use links rather than attachments.
⚡️Remove apps you’re not using from your phone. You can always re-add them later.
Get solar panels and pledge Sun power
By installing solar PV panels, the typical homeowner saves 1,200 to 1,700 kg CO2 each year, and saves a lot of money.
☀️ See if you’ve got a good spot for panels.
☀️ Find an accredited supplier.
Other ideas for Earth Hour
Browse our list of 60+ Do Actions for more Earth Hour friendly activities to suit you.
Happy pledging and doing!
Do Nation blog 