It's that time of year again in Montreal, springtime! No. Well...yes, but it's also Earth Hour. While daylight savings time may have given us an extra hour of light, today is the perfect day to go an hour without any light. On March 26, Environment Canada is encouraging all Canadians to participate in Earth Hour by turning off all non-essential lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

"Every year, at 8:30 p.m. on the last Saturday of March, supporters in over 190 countries and territories unite, taking action on and raising awareness of the issues facing our one home," Earth Hour says.

Environment Canada reminded Canadians in a recent Instagram post, urging us all to shut off all non-essential lights for 60 minutes. "Doing this can help reduce unnecessary energy consumption and help in the fight against climate change," Environment Canada wrote.

Earth Hour goes beyond lights too. If you aren't using certain appliances or anything that requires electricity, then switch it off.

With Montreal experiencing its hottest year yet in 2021, it's no surprise that we still have a lot of work to do when it comes to climate action.

Mayor Valérie Plante said on March 21 that Montreal would be investing $3.5 million to plant more than 17,000 trees in 2022. This initiative is one of many in order for Montreal to become the "greenest city in all of North America," as Plante said in her tweet.

Now, with Earth Hour coming up, you can join in on the action of minimizing climate change — even if it just means closing the lights for an hour.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.