How to Take Part in Earth Hour at Home

The whole idea is to switch off your lights for the entire 60 minutes. But why stop there? Switch off everything that requires electricity: your appliances, computer, music system, the TV and even your phone. It might also inspire you to work towards an off-the-grid family home like Sarah Richardson’s.

How often does your family just talk to one another, without the distraction of TV or phones? Earth Hour is the perfect time to come together and spend quality time with one another. Make it a regular thing to set aside some time every night to reconnect with one another.

Related: 20 Ways Going Green Will Save You Money

Candles are everyone’s go-to during Earth Hour but, if you have kids or pets, they can also be a fire hazard. A safer alternative is to use glow sticks for lighting. Place bundles of them in jars and put them strategically throughout the home.

Related: The 8 Coolest Lighting Trends That Will Transform Any Room

Another way to get the family to reconnect is to cook a meal together during Earth Hour. Choose something simple that doesn’t require the use of electronic appliances. There are plenty of ideas to get the kids involved in the kitchen too.

Related: 20 Super Simple Ways to Go Green at Home

When the lights are out, you have the perfect excuse for a candlelit dinner. Take it up an earth-friendly notch by preparing your meal according to WWF-UK’s Livewell principles, which focuses on how to make your diet more environmentally sustainable.

Game nights by candlelight are a fun way to enjoy Earth Hour. Invite friends over and play board games or charades. You might enjoy it so much that you won’t want to switch the lights back on once the hour has gone by. Bring out some cozy textiles and light the gas fireplace, which are some living room design trends that will warm up any room.

A fantastic way to reduce stress is to dance like nobody’s watching. And switching off the lights is the perfect way to do it. Dig out that old battery-operated boombox for the tunes and use glow sticks to help with spatial awareness.

With cities around the world switching off the lights at major landmarks during Earth Hour, you’ll be surprised at how different things can look. Get a group together and take a walk to see what your city is doing to celebrate.

What better time to solve a murder mystery than when the lights are out? It takes a bit of planning in advance but a murder mystery dinner party is a unique way to make the most of Earth Hour with friends. Everyone gets to dress up as their character and you can use the opportunity to show off your basement makeover.

One of the best things about Earth Hour is that when everyone switches off and unplugs, the sky lights up. Without light pollution you can really see the stars. So, don’t forget to look up. There’s still a chance to see the Northern Lights too.

Making art is always a fun activity for the kids. Doing it in the dark can have lots of surprising results. Get large sheets of paper and some drawing materials. Let everyone draw without being able to see what they’re doing. When Earth Hour is over and the lights come back on, you’ll have plenty of laughs while admiring everyone’s art.

A yoga or workout session is much less painful when you can’t see how your face turns red and sweaty from exercise. If you use candles for lighting, be careful about where you place them, though, so you don’t knock them over while doing the downward dog.

There’s nothing like a candlelit bath in one of the world’s most extraordinary bathtubs to wash away the stresses of the day. Even if you just have a regular old bathtub, spruce it up with some plants, perfumed candles and some bubbles for an ultra-relaxing session. Invite your partner to join you for a bit of earth-friendly romance.

Meditation is one of the best practices to help declutter your mind and get centred. Without the distraction of electronics, you can really get into the zone. Your meditation session may even help you hit inspiration for ways to celebrate and protect the planet every day.

If you switch off everything during Earth Hour, your house may be colder than usual. Solve the problem by snuggling up in bed. You can read by the light of a lantern or some glow sticks, do some crafts, sketch or just curl up with the cat. If your sanctuary isn’t the most spacious, try a few tricks to make a small bedroom look bigger.

Campfires aren’t only for camping. If you don’t have a permanent firepit in your yard, create a temporary one. Use sustainable wood for the fire, wrap yourself in a thick blanket and break out the marshmallows.

Even if your kids don’t have ultra-stylish bedrooms designed by HGTV Canada stars, they’ll appreciate having you spend some quality time with them in their rooms. Get a fire-safe lantern for lighting and read your kids a bedtime story. Remember to do “voices”! Or, let your kids do their own thing and read by themselves.

If you prefer being able to see the masterpiece you’re making, get a bunch of glow-in-the-dark markers and large sheets of paper. Now you can draw to your hearts content even when there isn’t any light.

Invite your musical friends over for a jam session. Everyone can bring their instruments and you can rework all your favourite tunes as a group. Naturally, the session will be unplugged.

The idea of Earth Hour is to raise awareness of your impact on the planet. However, the planet needs more than just awareness; it needs real action. Make some of your Earth Hour activities a permanent fixture in your daily routine and work towards making your home more environmentally friendly. For instance, Bryan Baeumler’s ideas of where to splurge and save in your home includes buying energy-saving appliances.