With just one day left until Earth Hour this Saturday, have you made plans to reduce your carbon footprint and take part in this worldwide event yet?

At 8pm on March 29th, Earth Hour asks you to turn off your lights and non-essential appliances for one hour to promote the conservation of electrical energy in an effort to lower carbon emissions. The first Earth Hour started in Sydney last year, and as many as 2.2 million people took part. This year, Earth Hour is spanning the globe for participation, with 34 official sister cities taking part including Christchurch in New Zealand.

This doesn’t restrict all Kiwis from helping out the earth this weekend, here’s what you can do to make a difference:

• Turn off all lights around your house - luckily daylight savings‘ end is still a week away, and it’s not pitch black yet at 8pm.
• Turn off your television, heated towel rails, air conditioners, and don’t forget that computer monitor!
• Have a salad or other meal that doesn’t involve cooking for dinner - go without the oven, stove or microwave for one night.
• Don’t use your car - stay at home or walk to a friend’s place.

Many major landmarks around the country will turn their lights off for this hour - take a look around your city and see the difference we can make together.

Image from Flickr.