Cape Town - The World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour, commemorated on the last Saturday of March since 2007, encourages the world to switch off their lights and appliances for an hour in honour of environmental conservation and the burden that fossil fuel power generation has on our planet’s natural world.
South Africans have been involuntarily having their lights and appliances switched off for hours on end for the past 14 years due to Eskom’s load shedding, so no one would blame us for not wanting to switch off voluntarily.
Worry not! The WWF has come to the rescue once again with a cool list of seven ways we can make a difference this Earth Hour without having to buy more candles and matches from the tuckshop.
Participate or attend a nature-inspired event
If you’re in the Cape Town area, here’s your chance to participate in a thrilling Earth Hour scavenger hunt. The 5km adventure dash will be happening on Saturday, 26 March at one of WWF’s conservation champion wine farms, the scenic Plaisir de Merle Wine Farm in Simondium in the rolling foothills of the Simonsberg, close to Paarl.
If you’re around Johannesburg, Africa Land has got you covered. Be part of their Crocodile river clean-up at 12h30, also taking place this coming Saturday. The venue is about 30km from Fourways and Pretoria.
Otherwise, check your local parks and other nature centres to find out what exciting activities you can do to give nature your undivided attention for at least for 60 minutes.
Dine and unwind under the stars
Whether it’s in your home garden, neighbourhood park or at the beach, a dinner under a night sky, twinkling stars above your head and sounds of nature all around you can make your Earth Hour occasion a memorable one.
If this sounds like something you’d enjoy with your family and friends, pack your picnic basket and get ready for the night and the hour!
60-minute meal for family and the planet
If you’re a foodie or you just love preparing or sharing heart-warming meals with your loved ones, why not challenge yourself to cook a planet-friendly storm? To make it even more special, you can have each person in your family prepare an ingredient to make up the entire meal.
Better your last run, walk or hike time.
Beat your last best performance and challenge your family and friends to join you. Walk, run, hike or cycle at your local park, along the beach promenade, mountain or forest and see if you can do better than your last best performance. Get set, ready, go!
Go on an exploration adventure
Take your family or friends to the nearest nature reserve or rocky shores and explore the spectacular creatures and plants that “call” these conservation-worthy landscapes and seascapes home.
Identify as many signs of life as possible, these could be sounds, footprints or the actual plants and animals found in these areas.
Make sure to have a pen and paper or your mobile phone to record everything you come across your path. In the end, add it up and share your discoveries.
Watch a nature-inspired movie or documentary
If you don’t feel like getting outdoors, you can still explore nature from the comfort of your home. There are plenty of movies and documentaries about the extraordinary wonders of nature.
You may learn something or two and be motivated to spend more time in nature. Check out Our Planet on YouTube or find something else that is as nature-inspired.
Netflix has some pretty cool nature documentaries to watch too! Just search nature and a list should pop with something to watch for everyone.
Say “YES” to climate action and a better future
Record a video clip of yourself saying “YES to climate action”, “YES to a better future for all”, “YES to saving the planet”, or “YES to living on a cleaner planet” and send it to the WWF via direct message on Facebook or Instagram.
We may compile it with other video clips from many other supporters across South Africa to share on our social media on the evening of Earth Hour 2022.
IOL