How does turning off your lights for Earth Hour help protect the planet?

One of the most common questions we receive during Earth Hour is how switching your lights off 60 minutes once a year actually helps fight the climate crisis and address the drastic loss of diversity of life on Earth.

It’s a good question. And the answer comes down to a single word: intention.

Every effective movement starts with intentional action. The key is to find where your passion and opportunity for change align and then using that discovery to influence those around you.

Earth Hour is an excellent time to reflect on your activism goals. Maybe you use this hour to think about how you can, in the future, bring together a diverse group of people and create a space to exchange ideas and forge new connections. Maybe you spend the hour reflecting on the work you’ve done so far to protect our planet and set intentions for the coming months. A collective pause to determine where you fit into the movement—understanding how your actions add up, building bridges for others—can help strengthen and sustain the movement over time.