Last year in Australia on March 31, Over 2 million people and 2100 businesses in Sydney turned off their lights for just one hour - Earth Hour. The result - for that hour, Sydney's electricity consumption dropped by 10.2%, the equivalent of taking 2,000 cars off the road for a full 24 hours.

It just goes to show that seemingly small efforts when multiplied can have amazing results. In fact, in Australia, if business turned off lights when buildings weren’t in use and combined this technology such as the use of Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL's), the commercial sector could reduce emissions caused by coal fired electricity generation for lighting by an incredible 70-80%!

While Earth Hour last year was a Sydney event, this year it's going global - over 20 cities around the world are participating, and the list keeps growing. Even if your city isn't participating yet, you can create your own Earth Hour – learn how to organize Earth Hour in your town or local community.

Earth Hour started as a joint initiative between WWF-Australia, Fairfax Media and Leo Burnett for the city of Sydney - you can learn more about Earth Hour here:

http://www.earthhour.org/

Tip - If you decide to use candles during Earth Hour, try to use beeswax or soy candles as they are smoke free, non-toxic and non-allergenic. Standard candles are made from paraffin wax, which is a byproduct of oil refining.