Looking Beyond Earth Hour

Every year since 2007, millions of people throughout the world collectively shut off the lights for one hour to support environmental sustainability. Known as Earth Hour, this 60 minutes of darkness has reached over 125 countries and major landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Rome's Colosseum and Toronto's CN Tower. This year, Earth Hour will take place on March 26 from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. local time, creating an hourly wave of support as the blackout hits each time zone.

But how much change can a single hour make? Although Earth Hour serves its purpose by creating a universal initiative to save the planet, for the past four years the effort never seemed go beyond that one hour. 2011 has the potential to be different. In 2011, we hope to extend environment-friendly living beyond a single hour of darkness.

Beyond the Hour is a platform that encourages individuals, governments and organisations to post pledges using various social networks about how they will decrease their carbon footprint in their everyday lives. Pledges can be as simple as recycling, carpooling, using reusable bags or shutting off the water when brushing your teeth.The Beyond the Hour platform has already been released as an iPhone application called 60+, where users can click "do this" next to others' pledges that they like and agree to do the same.

It's hard to believe that cutting a few showers shorter will make a big difference in sustaining a positive future for Earth. But when small changes are made by a large group of people, that little bit of effort can go a long way.