At 8.30pm on Saturday 26 March 2011, hundreds of millions of people across the globe will switch off the lights of homes and businesses for one hour – Earth Hour, the world’s largest public action for the environment – acknowledging a commitment to go beyond the hour with actions that benefit the planet in the year ahead.
Your church can make a great contribution to this global pursuit of ongoing environmental change by firstly switching out the lights of your place of worship and other buildings, as well as encouraging members and the local community to also participate.
As revered institutions, all religious organisations are well positioned to be a driving force of actions beyond the hour by leading, educating and encouraging local community members to make ongoing changes to reduce their impact on the planet.
Show your community you’re contributing to global environmental change!
The following information outlines the various ways a church can make an ongoing Earth Hour commitment, be it big or small.
1. Switch off non-essential lights at 8:30pm on Saturday 26 March 2011.
2. Turn off non-essential lights in your places of worship and other buildings during Earth Hour 2011 from 8:30pm-9:30pm on Saturday 26 March 2011. Join other committed religious organisations and community groups worldwide in this action.
3. For larger buildings, plan ahead with facilities and building managers to manage the logistics of switching off non-essential lighting for Earth Hour 2011 – including neon lights – in and around your properties.
4. Show your support for Earth Hour 2011 by signing up at www.earthhour.org and sharing your ongoing actions for the planet with the people of the world. It’s free and we’ll send you regular Earth Hour updates with inspiring actions from people and communities across the globe.
5. Communicate Earth Hour to your community. Earth Hour is apolitical and non-religious with a message of hope and action for the planet that unites people of all persuasions. Encourage participation in Earth Hour 2011 and communicate any positive actions you are taking for the planet that go beyond the hour.
Here are some simple ideas you could use:
• Announce Earth Hour at religious and community gatherings.
• Display Earth Hour posters in places of worship and other buildings.
• Include a link to the Earth Hour website on your homepage or hosting an Earth Hour banner on your website;
• Include the Earth Hour logo on monthly newsletters to group members, on letterheads and in email signatures;
• Organise special activities and events for Earth Hour such as candlelight vigil.
To see how you can promote Earth Hour and your religious organisation’s active participation in this action, please see the promotional materials available on our website at www.earthhour.org, provided for your use for free.
[From the Earth Hour website. Please note that you cannot access these url’s from here, you will need to cut and paste them into your browser].