Once a year, a wave of darkness sweeps across Planet Earth as millions of people turn off their lights in reaction to global warming.

In its inaugural year, more than 2 million individuals participated in Earth Hour, but the number has risen considerably since then.

In 2010, 126 countries, including South Africa, participated in the global event.

International icons such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Boris Johnson and Gisele Bündchen supported the initiative and lights were switched off at global landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben and the Empire State Building.

The fifth annual Earth Hour will take place at 20h30 (local time) on 26 March, 2011. Close to one billion people are expected to switch off lights and other non-essential appliances for 60 minutes to show their commitment to saving energy.

Hundreds of thousands of Capetonians will take part in the project by flipping the switch and spending an hour in darkness.

And even though Cape Town may have (temporarily) lost her sparkle, there’s still plenty to do – pass the time by telling ghost stories and stargazing or enjoy a romantic candlelit dinner.

Earth Hour is just one of the ways that we can pledge our commitment to our planet.

National Water Week starts on 21 March and World Water Day takes place on 22 March. For Love of Water (FLOW) will be hosting a series of “edutaining” events about the precious resource during National Water Week. Find out more about National Water Week here.