It’s difficult to imagine our lives without electricity. You can’t imagine your life without your phone, TV, or refrigerator. Imagine washing all your clothes by hand, lighting a fire to heat water, and going to bed at night because the candlelight isn’t enough to do any of these things.

Although electricity may seem like a given, it was not too long ago that these situations were commonplace for all people around the globe. Every thing comes with a cost, and it is becoming more obvious that the price we pay for our daily lives is the well-being the planet. Earth Hour was created to help us all think about our planet every once in a while.

Australia’s World Wide Fund for Nature met in Sydney with an advertising agency to discuss ways of engaging Australians about climate change. They came up with the idea of a large-scale switch off in 2006, which they called “The Big Flick”, and decided to make it a reality.

The mayor of Sydney quickly realized the importance of increasing awareness about electricity usage and its impact on the planet. In March 2007, the first Earth Hour was held in Sydney. San Francisco was the next major city to host a Lights Out program in October 2007.

It was a huge success that received positive media coverage. By 2008, 35 countries had participated on each continent. Hundreds of cities across these 35 countries switched off their lights between 8 and 9 p.m.

Some of the most iconic landmarks were represented, including the Sydney Opera House (Sydney), Australia), Empire State Building, New York City, National Monument (Jakarta), Indonesia), Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, US), Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa, the Colosseum, Rome, Italy, Azrieli Center, Tel Aviv, Israel, Azrieli Center, Royal Castle (Stockholm), Canada), SM Science Discovery Center, Manila, Philippines), Petronas Towers, Kual Lumpur, Malaysia), KL Tower, Malaysia), Wat Arun Temple, Thailand), Wat Arun Temple (Bangkok), Thailand), The London City Hall (London), The City Hall (London City Hall, England), The London City Hall (London City Hall, England), The London City Hall (London), The London City Hall (London City Hall, England), The London City Hall (London City Hall, England), The London City Hall (London City Hall, England), The London City Hall (London), The London, England), The London City Hall (London City Hall (London City Hall, England), The London City Hall (London City Hall, England), The number of participating countries grew to 170 in 2016. Numerous celebrities have supported the event, including Lionel Messi and Al Gore, YokoOno, Nelson Mandela, and Yoko Ono.

Participating in Earth Hour is the best way to mark it! Remember, however, that Earth Hour does not only last for one hour. It is about taking care of our planet every hour of every day.

If we don’t continue to take care of the environment after Earth Hour, then thousands upon thousands of Mwhs of energy are saved around the world. Think about what you can do every day to conserve energy. If enough people do these small things, it can make a big difference. The Earth Hour is a one-hour celebration that will inspire you to make the world better for the remaining 8,760 people in the year.