Green Hands USA: America Volunteers

Just a few weeks from now, people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour to show their support in the fight against climate change.

The Earth Hour event takes place March 27th, and encourages everyone who signs up to turn off every light in their homes from 8:30-9:30 pm (local time).

Earth Hour started three years ago, when 2.2 million people participated. This year, sponsor WWF is trying to take it to the next level, with a goal of 1 billion participants in 1,000 cities.

Governments in 19 states have already agreed to participate, so all kinds of government buildings and sites will go dark that night in support of Earth Hour's message.

The Earth Hour event goes beyond individual acts and encourages you to tell your friends and influence your community. Think you can get local stores and government offices to turn off their lights on March 27, too? Then go ahead and do it! There are also all kinds of downloads to help promote events on a corporate and community level.

So if you'd like to send a message about our impact on the planet and climate change, go ahead and sign up for this year's Earth Hour. You never know how much change you can create on your own until you try.