EARTH HOUR: OVER THE YEARS

WWF and partners first launched Earth Hour as a “lights off” movement in Australia in 2007. Since then, Earth Hour has flourished into a worldwide campaign that sees millions switch off non-essential lights for an hour.

WWF-India has been spearheading the annual movement to create the Biggest Hour for Earth in India since 2009. Over the years, 58 cities have participated in this voluntary planet-positive movement.

The campaign enjoys unconditional support from people and organisations across India every year. And in the past few years, the support has multiplied exponentially with Earth Hour’s expanding digital presence.

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2023

Last year saw the largest Switch Off of Earth Hour India with 150+ significant landmarks, monuments, government buildings, historical sites, educational institutions and corporate offices going dark for an hour on 25th March, 2023. More than 2,000 people participated in 13 cyclothons organised by WWF-India across the country.

WWF-India continued spreading its message on digital platforms. Three-time Grammy winner Ricky Kej, the Face of Earth Hour India 2023, performed his music live in collaboration with international artists during Earth Hour. A host of other Goodwill Ambassadors, including celebrities, chefs, and artists lent their voice to the campaign.

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2022

On 26th March, 2022, India switched off its non-essential lights. As the country emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, the movement conveyed an unambiguous message: We have a vision for Earth, and we’re together in our attempts to accomplish it. Earth Hour India 2022 broke new ground, reaching millions of new audiences in their language through regional media tools. This year also saw the formation of a a digital platform to promote the journeys of several conservation heroes. This helped WWF-India use storytelling to drive behaviour change in society.

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2021

Our teams flipped the Covid-induced ‘only digital’ restriction into a winning asset by freeing ourselves from geographical limitations. We went deep into the hinterlands of India to sensitise the masses to join the campaign for the planet. For the first time, we promoted our messaging in 10 regional languages, which helped us reach a much wider audience.