As the world gears up to observe Earth Hour on Mar 23, an annual event aimed at raising awareness about climate change and environmental conservation, children in Beijing are finding creative ways to participate and make a difference in their community. Earth Hour, initiated by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), encourages individuals, businesses, and communities to turn off non-essential lights for one hour, from 8.30pm to 9.30pm local time, as a symbolic gesture of solidarity in the fight against climate change.

In Beijing, where environmental awareness is increasingly becoming a priority, children are stepping up to contribute to this global movement. From organizing community clean-up events to raising awareness about sustainable practices, young activists are finding innovative ways to engage with Earth Hour.

Earth Hour symbolizes a commitment to protecting the planet and reducing energy consumption. By turning off lights and electronics for one hour, participants not only save energy but also send a powerful message about the importance of conservation. Beyond the symbolic gesture, Earth Hour serves as a catalyst for ongoing environmental action and advocacy.

How Kids Can Take Part in Beijing:

Organize a Lights-Out Event: Whether at home or school, encourage children to organize a lights-out event. They can collaborate with friends, classmates, and local community members to turn off lights and gather for activities by candlelight. Take this time to tell some stories, stargaze, or even hold a mini-concert with acoustic instruments.

Host a Sustainable Crafts Workshop: Kids can get creative by hosting a workshop focused on making eco-friendly crafts using recycled materials. From DIY planters and bird feeders that are perfect for the arrival of spring to upcycled fashion accessories, there are endless possibilities for crafting while promoting sustainability.

Get Their Thumbs Green: Engage children in hands-on activities that promote greenery and biodiversity. They can participate in tree-planting initiatives or start their own garden. Gardening not only helps beautify spaces but also teaches valuable lessons about ecosystems and the importance of nurturing plant life.

Raise Awareness Through Art: Glow-in-the-dark paint can be a whole lot of fun! Encourage kids to express their environmental concerns and aspirations through art. They can create posters, paintings, or sculptures that highlight the significance of Earth Hour and the urgent need for climate action. These artworks can be displayed in public spaces or shared on social media to inspire others.

Educate Others: Empower children to become environmental ambassadors by sharing information about Earth Hour and sustainable practices with their peers, family, and community. They can create educational materials, such as presentations or videos, to raise awareness about climate change and encourage others to join the movement.

As kids in Beijing embrace Earth Hour, they are not only participating in a global movement, but they are also cultivating a deeper sense of environmental stewardship and responsibility. By engaging in meaningful activities and advocating for positive change, young activists are demonstrating their commitment to building a more sustainable and resilient planet for future generations.

This Earth Hour, let’s celebrate the power of collective action and encourage children to be champions of change in their communities. Together, we can make a difference and pave the way for a brighter, greener future.

Remember, every small action counts, and when it comes to protecting our planet, everyone has a role to play. Let’s turn off the lights and shine a light on climate action during Earth Hour 2024!

Join the movement and share your Earth Hour activities on social media using #EarthHourBeijing and #Connect2Earth.

For more information about Earth Hour and how to get involved, visit www.earthhour.org.

Images: Pexels

What is Earth Hour?

Started in 2007 by the World Wildlife Federation and their partners, Earth Hour began in Sydney Australia as a symbolic lights-out event and has grown to engage millions of people in more than 180 countries and territories.

It’s simple. Switch off your non-essential lights for an hour on Saturday, from 8.30-9.30pm your time and share it on your social media channels to bring attention to climate change and spark global conversations on protecting nature. Use hashtags like #EarthHour and #Connect2Earth to be part of the community.

You can do this with a candlelight dinner, camp out in your living room, have a themed movie night where you watch documentaries like Our Planet or the Wild Kratts cartoon, paint with glow in the dark neon paint – there are so many ways to open up the discussion with your kids. You can find more ideas here.

Share with us what you did or plan to do for Earth Hour by sending a short video or photo to editor@beijing-kids.com! And don’t forget to follow our WeChat Channel to watch our explainer video:

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Photos: Courtesy of Earth Hour

We like everything that lights up our mood, right? Our lantern project this month is just like that, but with a higher purpose of encouraging kids to care more about Mother Nature. The project is inspired by Earth Hour, a movement in which thousands of cities around the world switch off non-essential lights for about an hour every last week of March. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the activity organizers, the lights-off movement is a symbol of “commitment to the planet.” With that in mind, beijingkids like the idea of a lantern shining with inspiration, but our friends from 3e International School thought to make it even more sustainable. Art teacher Jonathan Winstanley and 9-year-old Chloe Fu say this Earth Hour lantern is easy to do since most of the materials are readily available. The third-grader even asks her teacher to do a similar project to celebrate other holidays as well!

Materials
Paper (colored tissue paper and a plain sheet), scissors, white glue, paint brush, pen, colored pencils, two pipe cleaners, a candle, and a glass jar

Step 1
Cut the yellow tissue paper into squares or rectangles. Paint the glue onto the jar and stick the paper squares to cover it. You can use the glue to stick down the edges smoothly.

Step 2
Draw a tree trunk onto the brown tissue paper and carefully cut it out with the scissors. Glue your tree onto the jar.

Step 3
Make your tree blossom! Cut out leaf shapes from the green tissue paper using the scissors.

Step 4
Now, let’s call for your favorite animals! Draw and color them using the colored pencils. Stick them on the tree using the glue.

Step 5
Wrap one pipe cleaner around the top of the jar, then use another one to make the handle. Get an adult to help you place your lit candle inside the jar.

Photos: Uni You

This article appeared on p28-29 of beijingkids March 2018 issue.