Earth Hour

What is Earth Hour?

Earth Hour, is a world-wide celebration where millions of people around the world turn off their lights for one hour to tackle the dual challenges facing the planet – climate change and loss of nature. Earth Hour started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia, in 2007. It has grown to engage 192 countries and territories to raise awareness for energy consumption and effects on the environment. By turning off non-essential electricity, participants join a global movement to raise awareness and take action for a healthy planet. For more information, please visit Earth Hour Reports.

2026 RESULTS

How to take part?

During Earth Hour, TDSB schools and offices are asked to go as electricity-free as possible for ONE HOUR on March 27th at 2pm. Wherever possible, our schools and offices will turn off all interior lighting (except necessary emergency lights), any non-essential electronics and powerbars.

In 2011, the TDSB experienced its highest reduction in energy usage (29.9%.) at schools and offices. This year energy reduction will be tracked at each TDSB school, with the top schools getting a shout out! Let’s make this year our biggest energy reduction ever!

Educators and Students:

Earth Hour presents a great opportunity to raise awareness about environmental issues and run campaigns focused on energy conservation and climate change. Its sharp focus allows you to undertake as little or as much awareness and action building as your school is ready for. The TDSB Earth Hour poster/checklist can serve as an organizing tool for classroom or school-wide endeavours:

Community:

This Earth Hour on March 28th, millions around the world will be turning off the lights and speaking up why nature matters. Families and community members can participate from 8:30 to 9:30 pm. Consider registering your actions or event at the Global Earth Hour website.

Connect with us

Share your #TDSBEarthHour actions with @EcoSchoolsTDSB. Tell us if your school is already going beyond Earth Hour itself! Do students take an active role in organizing the campaign? Inspire and challenge other schools across the city.

2026 Results!

Our TDSB Energy and Climate Action team have the tools to track energy use at each of our schools. They compare the Earth Hour usage to a week earlier, and come up with the percent saved. Due to the amount of effort to do this, they have selected the top three schools overall.

If you participated and would like to see your results, please contact us. You can also look at your school energy data on FSweb (log into TDSBweb, open the Operations menu, click "Facility Services", then "Utility Profile").