Top Ten Things to Do for Earth Hour

Here are some things that you can do to prepare for Earth Hour.

Remember that saving energy is about more than just turning down the lights. Challenge yourself to do some or all of these energy saving things for Earth Hour - and every day - to save energy and help the planet.

#10 Fill Up Your Freezer

Did you know that an empty freezer uses up more energy than a full one?

If you have empty space in your freezer or deep-freeze, you can conserve energy - and reduce your electric bill - by freezing used pop bottles or milk jugs of water. Fill empty containers about 2/3rds full and place them in your freezer. The ice will help maintain the temperature inside the freezer, allowing it to use less energy.

#9 Invite Your Friends Over

You can help spread Earth Hour awareness by inviting your friends, family or neighbors to join you for Earth Hour activities. A few friendly faces can help make the time go faster, too!

#8 Fix Drafts

Drafty doors and windows cause your heating and cooling bills to go up. Try to repair or cover any drafts around your home before Earth Hour. The money you save will help throughout the year as well!

You can also keep heating and cooling costs down with thermal window coverings. But if you're pinching pennies, simple dark curtains can keep a room warm in winter, and white curtains keep it cool in summer.


#7 Turn Down the Heat

If you're living in a cool climate and have the heat on in March, try turning your heat down slightly for Earth Hour.

To minimize the amount of energy that you use for heating, make sure that heating units are well ventilated and not obscured by furniture. There should be at least a few inches of space between heaters and other objects for them to work efficiently.

Close off any rooms that are not used regularly, and only heat rooms that you need to. If you keep your thermostats at a moderate temperature throughout the day, you will use less energy than you do by turning it up and down at different times.

#6 Unplug Appliances

At 8:25 on March 28th, it's time to start powering down for Earth Hour.

You can start by unplugging your small appliances such as the microwave and coffee maker. Hopefully, your toaster is already unplugged when not in use!

Unplug Your Toaster for Earth Hour!

#5 Unplug Chargers

For one hour, unplug your cell phone charger, battery re-charger and any other adaptors you have around your home. If you leave these items unplugged when not in use, you can save a few dollars in energy costs every month.

If you have a cordless phone you will need to leave it plugged in, unless you have a standard telephone in the house as well.


#4 Unplug Clocks and Electronics

It won't take long to reset your digital alarm clock after Earth Hour is finished. Unplug as many of the clocks around your home as possible. If you have a digital watch or wall clock, you can unplug them all!

Turn off and unplug your television and other devices like DVD players and video game consoles. If you have all of your electronics plugged into a power bar or surge bar, you can switch them all off at the end of the day, everyday. This can help you save money every month.


#3 Shut Off Your Computer

Even an idle computer uses energy. You can cut down on computer energy costs by powering down all of the devices at your desk for one hour. You can simply switch off the power bar or surge bar.

If there are items plugged in with your computer that must stay on, such as a cordless phone, you can unplug items individually, or turn off the power manually. Most computers have a power switch at the back of the tower that shuts them down completely.


#2 Unplug Lamps and Nightlights

Just like other electrical items, lamps should be unplugged when not in use. Unplug all of the floor and desk lamps in your home for Earth Hour. Only plug them back in as you need to use them.

"Lights Out" for Earth Hour

#1 Turn Off the Lights

Last but not least, turn down all of the lights in your home. It's a little strange sitting around in the dark, but it's only for one hour. Just think of what it must have been like before the invention of the light bulb!

Earth Hour is a bit like a power outage. If you're not prepared for it, you'll find yourself thinking "If I can't watch TV, and I can't use the computer, and I can't read in the dark...what can I do?"

To help make Earth Hour go faster, here are ten fun activities that you can do:

#10 Take a Nap

Nothing makes time go faster than sleep! If you're feeling sleepy, why not take a nap during Earth Hour and conserve your own energy, too?


#9 Make Love

You don't need lights to snuggle with someone! If you're lucky enough to be sharing Earth Hour with someone special, make the most of it! Better yet, turn Earth Hour into Earth Evening and save some extra electricity!

"The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt

#8 Tell Stories

If you're spending Earth Hour with friends or family, turn it into a fun story telling night. You can tell spooky stories in the dark, or just tell mild ones, or maybe share memories of times past. Either way, you'll enjoy the time that you spend together.


#7 Play Board Games

As long as your favorite games don't require too much reading, you can play by candle light. Chess and checkers are great games to play in the dark.

Play Chess During Earth Hour

#6 Play Handheld Games

If you simply can't bring yourself to unplug, make sure that your Nintendo DS or PSP is charged up before Earth Hour, and spend the time playing your favorite handheld game.



#5 Play Word Games

There are hundreds of different games that you can play just by talking. Some favorites, of course, are Truth or Dare and Telephone, but you can also try these fun games too:

The Map Game - Take turns naming countries, cities or other map regions by name. Each player must think of a place that begins with the last letter of the previous player's answer. For example: Amsterdam, Monaco, Orlando, Oakland, Denmark...

I'm Going on a Picnic - Take turns naming foods that begin with each letter of the alphabet. For example: Apple, Blueberry, Crab cake, Donut, English muffin...


#4 Sing Songs

You don't need a karaoke machine to have a sing-a-long. See who can remember the most lyrics from your favorite songs, or make up your own!


#3 Play Hide and Seek

There's something extra fun about playing hide-and-go-seek in the dark, even for grown ups! There are lots of different variations of the game, so set out the rules before you play. Don't forget to have fun!


#2 Recycle

You can do some easy recycled crafts by candle light and make Earth Hour even better for the environment!



#1 Make a Green Action Plan

Since you're just sitting in the dark anyway, why not take this opportunity to talk about what you'll be doing this year to reduce your impact on the Earth? Make a list of all the things that you could change, and try to think of ways to add them to your lifestyle.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

- Buy a reusable coffee mug or water bottle
- Ride the bus or bike to work
- Insulate your water heater

Earth Hour began as a small World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) event in Sydney, Australia. In 2007, 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. The movement was quickly picked up, and the following year was an even bigger event.

In that short time over 50 million people had become aware of Earth Hour, and turned out their lights to save energy and spread awareness in 2008. Even some of the world's most recognizable buildings were dark for Earth Hour, including Rome's Coliseum, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square, New York.

In 2009, there were over 74 countries ready to participate in what is now called "Vote Earth" - a stand against global warming.

You can help make a difference by reducing your energy consumption for Earth Hour in March, between 8:30 and 9:30 pm.

"Blackout in New York City"

To make Earth Hour an even bigger success, help encourage people to join in and power down. Here are 10 ways that you can spread the word about Earth Hour:




#10 Email

Send emails to your friends and family about Earth Hour. You can invite them to join you, or share your plans for March 28th. If you're really passionate, why not add a link to your favorite Earth Hour blogs or stories in your email signature?

You can also email this page to spread the word!


#9 Facebook

There are lots of Earth Hour groups on Facebook. Join at least the official one, and invite your friends to join as well. If you tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and they tell to friends... You get the idea. Think of how many people you could reach if you invited all of your Facebook friends to participate in Earth Hour!

You can post this page to Facebook as well!


#8 Digg It

If you're a Digg user, you can search for stories about Earth Hour. Digg them and share them with your friends to help get conversations going about saving energy.

You can Digg Top Ten Earth Hour Activities and find other related stories, too.


#7 Forum Posts

If you participate in discussion forums, write a post about Earth Hour activities. Ask people what their plans are, and get the conversation going. You can also add a link to your favorite Earth Hour blogs or stories in your forum signature.


#6 Talk About It

Ask people about their plans for Earth Hour, and let them know that you'll be joining in. Talk to everyone - even the cashier at the market!

Talk on the Telephone About Earth Hour!

#5 Have Earth Hour at Work

Get your employer to sign on for Earth Hour, too! If your workplace closes before 8:30, you can still power everything down at closing time. Ask if you can post a sign in the window letting people know that you're making Earth Hour a part of your business.

If you're self employed, let your customers, clients and partners know that your business is participating in Earth Hour. Ask them to join you!


#4 Make a Lens About Earth Hour

You can start your own Squidoo lens about Earth Hour, too! It's easy and fun to do. Your page can also help contribute to your favorite charity. This Earth Hour lens donates to Ecotrust and Earthjustice!

Make a Green Living lens today!

#3 Wear Earth Hour Apparell

You can spread awarness by wearing Earth Hour buttons and shirts, or carry your groceries home in a reusable Earth Hour bag. Your new wardrobe will get people talking about saving energy on March 27th, and every day of the year.

Once Earth Hour 2011 has come and gone, it is most important to take the initiative and continue our attempts to conserve energy and spread awareness.

If you found turning out your lights for one hour only a small sacrifice, why not do it once a month for the rest of the year? Try to create one new green habit every month, and find new ways to reduce your not only energy and water use, but petrochemical and paper consumption as well.

Don't forget to join in the celebrations for Earth Day on April 22!

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