Vanderbilt University will participate in Earth Hour on Saturday, March 25, to raise awareness about climate change by turning off the exterior lights at West End Tower from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Earth Hour was started in Sydney, Australia, in 2007 by the World Wildlife Fund and partners, and it has become a global event with more than 190 countries and territories participating. Vanderbilt’s participation, in coordination with Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s office, is part of a Metro Nashville initiative to have businesses and organizations across the city collaborate to raise environmental awareness.
For safety reasons, Vanderbilt will not turn lights off campuswide, but it invites community members to participate by shutting off any nonessential lights during this hour.
The Earth Hour organization suggests using this time to reconnect with nature, grab a blanket and go stargazing, cook a candlelit dinner with loved ones, host a board game night, tune in to a nature podcast or simply learn more about climate change and the steps you can take each day to be more sustainable.
Participants are asked to share their photos on Instagram using #EarthHour and tagging the FutureVU Sustainability account @futurevusustainability.
To learn more about how you can conserve energy throughout the year, visit the FutureVU Sustainability website.