Celebrate Earth Hour 2025

Every year, on the last Saturday of March, millions of people around the world switch off their lights for one hour in a symbolic gesture of unity and commitment to the planet.

Earth Hour, launched by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Sydney in 2007, started out as a local, grassroots campaign calling for action against climate change. In the years since it has grown into a global movement, inspiring individuals, businesses, and cities to rethink their environmental impact beyond just 60 minutes of darkness.

With the big ‘switch-off’ right around the corner, let’s mark our calendars and explore some simple, meaningful ways to celebrate this year’s event.

The official switch off will happen on 22 March from 8:30pm to 9:30pm local time and is when many landmarks like the Sydney Harbour Bridge will go dark. Although this iconic moment isn’t an energy-saving initiative, it plays a significant role in raising awareness and funds to support WWF’s important conservation work.

When the city lights go out, the stars shine brighter – so make sure you go outside and look up! If the night is clear, many stars and neighbouring planets will be visible to the naked eye. An astronomy app that uses augmented reality can help you identify constellations and space objects simply by pointing your phone to the sky. If you’re very lucky, there may even be an astronomical event or auroral activity forecast.

Documentaries have the unique power to educate, entertain and connect viewers with the natural world on a deep, emotional level – the next-best thing to actually being in nature. So instead of your usual movie night, why not pick a kid-friendly feature film focused on animal behaviour, brush up on 4 million years of evolution, or opt for a sobering series that doesn’t shy away from the confronting reality of climate change. Check out these inspiring titles available on Netflix.

Bring your favourite people together for an unplugged dinner with a planet-friendly menu to match. You might want to shop locally-sourced ingredients, choose plant-based recipes, or tackle food waste by using up what’s already in your fridge. Feeling confused by controversial fishing practices? Australia’s independent guide to sustainable seafood, GoodFish app, can help you out with ocean-friendly choices.

One of the most active times for the Aussie bush is after nightfall, with bats, possums, owls and gliders emerging from their nests to forage and hunt. It’s also when nature enthusiasts venture out to observe things that glow in the dark, like fireflies, glowworms and bioluminescent algae and fungi. If you’re spotlighting for critters, use a torch to scan for a pair of shining eyes, but don’t point the light directly at the animal or linger for more than a few seconds. Keep your ears open too. Youtube has some handy sound clips to help you put names to all the croaks, squeaks and hoots.

Get kids involved by making DIY lanterns to enjoy later when the lights go out. Browse Pinterest and rummage through your recycling for glass jars to decorate and repurpose as candle holders, or make mini star projectors with cardboard rolls. For a whole evening of screen-free fun, you could put on a shadow puppet show or play hide and seek by torchlight.

Conservationists, science journalists and activists have written extensively on sustainability and climate change, and with so many inspiring titles available as ebooks or audiobooks, Earth Hour is a great opportunity to deepen your understanding on the topic. Some highly rated titles you might want to check out include There is No Planet B by Mike Berners-Lee, The Book of Hope by Jane Goodall and The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg.

One hour of darkness doesn’t solve the climate crisis, but it does get people thinking greener and encourages ongoing advocacy and action. If you’re passionate about creating a sustainable future too, now’s the time to review your own action plan and get ready for involvement in upcoming events, such as Earth Day on 22 April.

At Optus, we’re committed to driving lasting positive change for our people, customers and community. Learn about our strategy and the meaningful progress we’ve made towards our sustainability goals.

Optus Sustainability Report