Earth Hour 2011 Will Be the Largest Ever

Five days from now, on March 26, participants from over 131 countries will turn off their lights for 60 minutes, during an event suggestively called Earth Hour. Organizers announce that this year's iteration of the event will boast more participants than ever before.

Earth Hour was first held by 2.2 million people in Sidney, Australia in 2007. Since then, it has attracted more and more participants every year, and has also branched out into other activities.

In 2010, for example, more than 1 billion people participated in the manifestation, which is a direct protest against the massive use of fossil fuels for powering up the world. People are also protesting the lack of investment in alternative energy, and the massive amounts of carbon we pollute Earth with.

Some 4,000 cities were a part of Earth Hour 2010, and organizers estimate that even more will participated this weekend. All G20 countries have already said that they will join in the effort too.

The event starts on Saturday, at 8:30 local time. All you need to do is turn off all non-essential electric equipment and lighting for a full hour, to show your commitment to this cause. Millions of voices can be heard more clearly than a single one.

Niagara Falls, Times Square, Mount Rushmore, the Big Ben, the Brandenburg Gate, the Eiffel Tower, the Queen’s Palace in Madagascar and the Opera House of Sydney will be just some of the most important monuments whose managers announced will participate in Earth Hour 2011.

But this year's iteration also asks participants to commit to a personal plan of action, no matter how big or small. The goal is to start taking steps to protect the planet from the grassroots, if politicians seem determined to let the environment fall apart.

“Earth Hour is a chance for people and communities across the globe to join together with the common purpose of a sustainable future for our planet” explains Andy Ridley.

“This year Earth Hour asks people to commit to an action, big or small, for the coming year, taking Earth Hour beyond the hour,” adds the official, who is the co-founder and executive director of Earth Hour. The action was created by the WWF and The Sydney Morning Herald.

An online platform to support the massive campaign – and where participants can share their actions and ideas – can be visited at this address.