Posted on March, 27 2021

Earth Hour Nepal 2021 - Virtual Spotlight held digitally
 
Kathmandu, Nepal – Earth Hour Nepal 2021 was held digitally on Saturday, 27 March 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis. Earth Hour is a global environmental movement aimed at inspiring and empowering individuals, businesses, civil society organizations and governments to take tangible actions for the planet. Last year, Earth Hour went digital for the first time to ensure public safety during the COVID-19 outbreak. The movement saw people from a record-breaking 190 countries marking Earth Hour online, generating over 3 billion social media impressions with #EarthHour and related hashtags trending across 37 countries on Twitter and Google Search.
 
In Nepal, the movement has always focused on generating awareness and encouraging pro-environment values and acts for lasting impact. Over the last decade, Earth Hour Nepal has scaled up from small scale plantation programs and clean up initiatives to mass transformational events promoting renewable energy and sustainable lifestyles.
 
Adding to this trajectory, this year Earth Hour Nepal focused on providing a key moment for people to unite and Speak Up for Nature, showing how small acts can power big change. Some of Nepal’s popular musicians such as Ani Choying Drolma, Swoopna Suman, The Elements, Dr. Trishala Gurung, Rohit Shakya and Sadichha Shrestha, joined the movement by performing and participating in gamified interviews around topics of nature, wildlife, and the environment. During the event Ani Choying Drolma, was announced as WWF Nepal’s Goodwill Ambassador.
 
The digital event provided a key moment for people to speak up for nature. Meanwhile, the month-long digital campaign garnered a reach of over 5 million. During the event, Shree Terse Secondary School from Sindhupalchowk, was also announced as the winner of the “Earth Hour School Innovation Challenge” centered around renewable energy; another component of event that aimed to promote innovation and conservation values among the younger generation. Meanwhile Nightingale International School - Kathmandu, Crystal Mountain School - Dolpa, and Kathmandu International School were announced as the first, second and third runner ups.

Speaking at the event Ani Choying Drolma said, “I believe everyone is blessed with their own unique magic wand and if we use it for the rightful purposes, it has an immense potential. So, let’s use our unique magic wand and make this world a better place for everyone.”
 
2020 has proven to us that the health of our planet is imperative to our future. What we do to nature - we do to ourselves. It is never one big moment, but a collection of small actions that leads to change and it is time we mend our broken relationship with nature.
 
Earth Hour is WWF's flagship global environmental movement. Born in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour has grown to become one of the world's largest grassroots movements for the environment, inspiring individuals, communities, businesses and organizations in more than 190 countries and territories to take tangible environmental action for over a decade. Historically, Earth Hour has focused on the climate crisis, but more recently, Earth Hour has strived to also bring the pressing issue of nature loss to the fore. The aim is to create an unstoppable movement for nature, as it did when the world came together to tackle climate change. The movement recognizes the role of individuals in creating solutions to the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges and harnesses the collective power of its millions of supporters to drive change. 
                                                                        
About WWF

WWF is an independent conservation organization, with a global network active in nearly 100 countries. Our mission is to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which people live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.
 
 
For more information, contact:
 
Shayasta Tuladhar
Head - Communications and Education, WWF Nepal
Email : shayasta.tuladhar@wwfnepal.org