Earth Hour
Earth Hour
2 INTRODUCTION
2
Mobilizing hundreds of millions
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
3
of people is key to supporting
CONTENTS
chard S nehouse
4
a climate and nature action
to
Earth Hour 2019 was a truly And they pledged their support
remarkable and inspiring success.
Individuals, businesses and cities
for the planet, urging world
leaders to push the issue up 10 ACHIEVEMENTS OF EARTH HOUR 2019
in 188 countries and territories
came together to speak up for
the global agenda and secure
an international commitment AND #CONNECT2EARTH
nature and inspire urgent action to stop and reverse the loss of
for the environment. As Earth nature – a New Deal for Nature 12 KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Hour rolled around the globe, and People similar to what was
thousands of landmarks switched achieved with the Paris climate 14 10 STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
off their lights in solidarity with the agreement.
planet. 20 ARTWORK FROM AROUND THE WORLD
By acting together now, we have
In past years, Earth Hour has a unique opportunity to set a 22 DIGITAL HIGHLIGHTS
focused on the challenge of new direction for our society.
climate change and helped We’ve started an unstoppable 24 MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
mobilize a global movement that movement for nature and
successfully paved the way for together we can and will halt 25 ADVERTISING HIGHLIGHTS
the groundbreaking Paris climate nature loss, preserve the
agreement. Starting in 2018, Earth amazing diversity of life on Earth, 26 VISUAL STORYTELLING
Hour has also highlighted the and avert a catastrophe for our
relentless, accelerating and truly civilization. 28 PARTNERSHIPS
terrifying loss of nature – and the
need for urgent action to prevent Every one of us can make a 30 YOUTH SUPPORTING EARTH HOUR WORLDWIDE
serious harm to both people and difference in protecting nature.
nature. We are all part of the solution.
Millions of people around the Thank you again for your 34 BEYOND EARTH HOUR
world responded. From Ecuador incredible support for Earth Hour
to Morocco to Indonesia, people this year! 36 #CONNECT2EARTH THROUGH THE YEAR
spoke about issues that mattered
to them – about the need for Onwards.
sustainable lifestyles, plastic-free
oceans, water conservation, an Marco 38 BEHIND-THE-SCENES OF EARTH HOUR
end to deforestation, and so much
more. 40 OPERATIONS OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT
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© WWF-Colombia
EARTH HOUR:
THEN AND NOW
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© Petra Boic Petrac / WWF Croatia
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2009
Earth Hour broke all records for
mass participation and was on
2010
its way to becoming the world’s
largest grassroots movement for the
Earth Hour brought a petition from one environment.
million people for climate action to the
UN’s COP15 climate conference in
Copenhagen, symbolizing the growing
demand by people to be heard on
environmental issues.
2012
As part of Earth Hour’s I WILL IF YOU
WILL campaign, a petition in Russia
2018 Earth Hour 2019 highlighted the importance of their health, well-being and prosperity, they will try
In French Polynesia, Earth Hour Also in 2018, Earth Hour kickstarted nature to every one of us. harder to protect it.
garnered public pressure that led a three-year #Connect2Earth
to 5 million square kilometres of its movement to raise awareness about Nature provides all the essentials we need to live Earth Hour teams from around the world led
Exclusive Economic Zone in the South the interconnectivity of climate – from the air we breathe to the water we drink. initiatives, activities and events to help raise
Pacific being classified as a Managed change with biodiversity and It provides the foundations for our economic awareness of the value of nature – a vital first step
Marine Area – helping preserve vital people. A new and exciting journey prosperity. Quite simply, we need nature to survive in starting a global movement for nature.
marine ecosystems for present and to reverse the loss of nature started and thrive, but its growing loss puts this all under
future generations. here. threat.
26
“This Earth Hour comes with a great sense of urgency. We can
see the worsening impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss,
ocean pollution, soil degradation and water scarcity.”
COUNTRIES
SAW #EARTHHOUR, #CONNECT2EARTH
- UN Secretary-General António Guterres AND RELATED HASHTAGS TREND
2+
“Earth Hour is every hour of every day.” BILLION
- Greta Thunberg, 16-year-old climate activist IMPRESSIONS (JAN - MAR 2019)
FOR #EARTHHOUR AND #CONNECT2EARTH
188
each and every one of us, it is the source of life, beauty and
health. We are totally dependent on planet Earth, but its well- COUNTRIES &
being now depends on us.”
- Cosmonauts on the International Space Station TERRITORIES
MALAYSIA
Malaysia faces the threat of clean
water scarcity. This year, WWF-
Malaysia focused on freshwater
conservation with their Clean
Water and Clean Air campaign.
In collaboration with the local
government, the campaign
aims to raise awareness
of safeguarding important
catchment areas such as the Ulu
Muda Forest Complex, an area
that spans over 160,000 hectares,
comprises 7 forest reserves
and hosts an extensive array
of biodiversity and vulnerable
species.
NAMIBIA BRAZIL
WWF-Namibia went large- WWF-Brazil partnered with the
scale with their Earth Hour Scouts for Earth Hour 2019 to
efforts for the first time by mobilize thousands of people to
expanding their Connect2Earth #Connect2Earth by stargazing
− Connect2Wildlife campaign and observing nature in national
to rural and urban areas of the parks across Brazil.
country. In hopes of raising
awareness among people of
the value of nature as well as to
spark conversations about the
threats and dangers of the loss
of nature, WWF-Namibia worked
with schools in three regions to
come up with innovative ways to
conserve the environment and
halt biodiversity loss.
© Steve Felton / WWF-Namibia © WWF-Brazil
MOROCCO
Morocco is a water-scarce FRANCE
country confronted with
dwindling groundwater reserves
and disappearing wetlands. This Earth Hour, WWF-France
This Earth Hour, WWF-Morocco took personal sustainability to
raised awareness of water the next level with their new
conservation by organizing a mobile app WAG (We Act For
week of celebration on water, Good). WAG reminds people
starting on World Water Day. In to make their daily tasks more
partnership with schools and sustainable and to live greener.
the Scouts, WWF-Morocco The country’s iconic Eiffel Tower,
organized a treasure hunt in as well as 200 other monuments
the ancient Medina of Tétouan, across mainland France and in
following an old water pipe overseas territories (Nouméa in
system called Scoundo. New Caledonia and Cayenne in
French Guiana) switched off for
Earth Hour.
© WWF-France
ASIA +
& OCEANIA
©
t Earth Hour-Taiwan
© WWF-China
© WWF-Nepal
© WWF-Singapore
AMERICAS
© Municipalidad Metropolitana de Lima
© Gerardo Magallón / WWF-Mexico
© WWF - Ecuador
© WWF-Brazil
© WWF-Colombia
EUROPE
© Earth Hour- Cyprus © Dafydd Owen / WWF-UK
© WWF-Russia
AFRICA
© WWF-Uganda
© Imen Zneidi / Earth Hour-Tunisia
© Earth Hour-Namibia
DIGITAL HIGHLIGHTS
Earth Hour 2019 saw fantastic A varied mix of influencers Strategic outreach to attract
online coverage across the and politicians such as Justin new online communities
world. This year’s digital narrative Trudeau, Richard Branson, garnered participation from
focused on encouraging Amitabh Bachchan, Bear Grylls, audiences as varied as young
people to speak up about why Mark Ruffalo, Greta Thunberg, people, millennials, parents,
#NatureMatters to them, switch Miss Earth 2018 Nguyễn Phương travellers, adventure enthusiasts,
off for nature and pledge their Khánh and even the British Royal filmmakers and illustrators. We
support for our planet. Assets Family joined the conversation. explored new tools and platforms
developed with this messaging Other digital influencers such as such as Facebook frames, Tik
were used not only by Earth The Dad Lab, Claudia Bahamón, Tok, Giphy and Telegram stickers
Hour teams worldwide but also Yoko Ono and Park Seo Joon to empower the community to be
adopted by others including also raised their voice for the brand advocates for the world’s
the United Nations and its planet. largest grassroots movement for
associated bodies UNICEF and the environment.
the Convention on Biological #Connect2Earth mentions have
Diversity. Big brands like Ikea, continued to grow tremendously
Samsung, H&M, Mercedes since the campaign’s launch
and McDonalds also chimed during Earth Hour last year
in by encouraging their online – thus pivoting Earth Hour from
communities to switch off for being about climate change to
nature. now focusing on nature loss.
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MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS ADVERTISING HIGHLIGHTS
Earth Hour made headlines
worldwide. Between 1 January
and 31 March, Earth Hour was
covered by TV, radio and online/
print media globally, with more
than 28,000 media mentions.
The Earth Hour movement was
covered by the global wires
AFP, Reuters and AP as well
as leading media outlets such
as the BBC, CNN and The
Washington Post, among many
others.
© WWF-Russia
“Mass participation in
Earth Hour has shown that We recognize the importance
of raising awareness of and
Earth Hour teams across
the world also adapted the
media – from bus stops, to
roadside banners, to billboards,
people globally demand understanding the state of our
planet as we move towards
#Connect2Earth wifi visual to
highlight issues and initiatives in
we drove awareness of Earth
Hour and #Connect2Earth.
urgent action for nature. engaging millions around the their countries or regions, from
world to take action. protecting forests and reducing In total, we secured more than
Millions of people have plastic use to encouraging USD1.5 million worth of pro-
- Marco Lambertini,
Director General,
WWF International
VISUAL STORYTELLING
We harnessed the power of visual storytelling to On the night of Earth Hour itself, we also created
spread the message that nature is so much more and released nine videos. These covered Earth
than a holiday or a hobby – that it is all around us Hour events and landmarks turning off their lights
and something we all depend on. around the world, as well as messages from
celebrities, influencers and everyday people in
Earth Hour taps into the power of the voice of support of Earth Hour.
individuals and, this year, we asked people around EARTH HOUR
the world about nature in a series of Around the
World vox pop videos. It was amazing to hear
Check out the Earth Hour 2019 playlist on our
YouTube channel to view all our videos. AROUND THE WORLD
young and old speak of the importance of nature
and the need to protect it.
India What If
Peru
“Everything is made based on
nature. If there is no nature, we
would not have clothes.”
South Africa
UNION OF
EUROPEAN
FOOTBALL
ASSOCIATIONS
UEFA has been a long-time
supporter of Earth Hour. Beyond
just turning off lights at their
headquarters in Nyon, they help
to amplify the importance of
nature to their millions of fans
and followers on social media
– bringing sports and nature
© Carolyn Djian / WWF-Suriname together.
Every year, the immense support In 2019, our partners included the
we receive from our committed World Organization of the Scout
partners for Earth Hour plays Movement (WOSM), Userfarm,
a huge part in reaching new Villains, Union of European
audiences and continuing to grow Football Associations (UEFA),
the movement. This year was no Zinkia Entertainment, Dropbox
exception. and Teemill.
© wwf.teemill.com
POCOYO TEEMILL
As ‘Kids Ambassadors’ for Earth Earth Hour teamed up with
Hour since 2010, Pocoyo and his Teemill, an on-demand online
friends Elly and Pato have helped store selling t-shirts and
raise the profile of the Earth Hour merchandise, giving people
movement by encouraging people across the world the chance to
to support the cause and educating
throw on a cool tee and show
future generations about our planet
and its environment. their support for the biggest
global movement for our
For 2019, Zinkia Entertainment, planet! Products and packaging
the creators of Pocoyo, created produced by Teemill are made
an interactive game educating from natural materials, not
players about how nature provides plastics, and every product is
our food. In addition, there was designed to be sent back to
an activity book and videos about Teemill when it is worn out!
connecting to nature and keeping The team also uses their own
the environment clean and green. brand of blank products made
They also created a video about
from certified organic (GOTS)
how to pledge your support and
add your voice for the planet. As cotton in an ethically accredited,
always their support helped to renewable energy powered
reach a younger audience and factory.
engage and inspire future leaders,
with the videos reaching 5.7 million
views on YouTube alone.
Group picture
of the WWF and
GYBN Youth
Ambassadors at
the UN Biodiversity
Conference in
Egypt
WORLD ORGANIZATION OF
“We should conserve biodiversity to safeguard our water, food,
THE SCOUT MOVEMENT fresh air and livelihoods.”
Building on the success in 2018 also encouraged to engage their
of our first year collaborating friends, families and communities to - Malaysian National Chief Scout Commissioner Major General
with the World Organization of protect, restore and value nature.
the Scout Movement (WOSM), Scouts Chief Ambassador Bear Professor Dato’ Dr Haji Mohd Zin bin Bidin (R)
this year focused on connecting Grylls shared a message of support
Scout groups with their local for the Earth Hour movement
WWF offices to ensure closer − explaining the connection
collaboration. The Scouting between nature and people’s
mission is to contribute to the lives, and asking Scouts to “take HIGHLIGHTS:
education of young people “to action in your community for an
help build a better world”, linking environmental cause that we all care
perfectly to WWF’s educational about deeply”. COTE D’IVOIRE GUATEMALA SINGAPORE
goals. In Côte D’Ivoire, the Scouts took Scouts in Guatemala shared their Over 300 Scouts attended
Beyond Earth Hour, we look part in a mannequin challenge Earth Hour event through two live Singapore’s largest festival for
With over 50 million Scouts forward to continuing to work with video focusing on the actions sessions using their Scouting in nature, WWF-Singapore’s zero
worldwide, this community the Scouts to support key WWF of Scouts in support of the Interamerica Facebook group. waste Earth Hour event. Many
played an important role in raising environmental education activities environment and nature. In volunteered to help educate
awareness about why nature and broader efforts to safeguard the addition, they conducted a clean- event-goers about food waste
matters by adding their voice to future of people and nature. up of their local areas, including and show how and why we need
#Connect2Earth. Scouts were streets and beaches. to use nature sustainably.
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© WWF-Madagascar © Sabina Gasimova / WWF-Azerbaijan © Sabina Gasimova / WWF-Azerbaijan
BEYOND
Earth Hour is just the beginning. platform Connect2Earth.org, we World Tourism Day, where we can
Our actions can become so much aim to facilitate conversations also highlight the importance of
bigger by going ‘beyond the about nature, raise awareness nature.
hour’. of the values of biodiversity
and inform people of the steps Together with our partners and
#Connect2Earth is a global they can take to conserve and ambassadors, we hope in the
campaign designed to keep the use nature sustainably. The coming months to bring the
issues live beyond Earth Hour, to toolkits provide suggested importance of nature into the
spread the message about why copy for social media, images, lives of the billions of people who
nature matters. event ideas and education tools depend on it.
for environmentally themed
By creating assets on key days such as Earth Day and
international days throughout International Day for Biological
the year, and placing these Diversity − but also for other days,
open-source assets on our such as World Chocolate Day and
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© WW
F-Inter
nationa
OPERATIONS OF THE WORLD’S l
This year the global Earth Hour A huge thank you to everyone
operation was run by a team of who made this Earth Hour such a
13 WWF staff supported by 8 success.
interns. The team is responsible
for sharing the campaign narrative
with the Earth Hour network,
event organizers, partners and
media. This joined-up approach is
nal
-Internatio
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1961
on 6 continents
WWF was
founded in 1961
+30M +5M
WWF has over 30
million followers on WWF has
social media and over 5 million
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