A regional environmental charity is calling for people to support Earth Hour, a worldwide 'lights off' event taking place March 30.

Environment Trust are based in Twickenham, South West London.

They are involved in a number of environmentally-friendly initiatives in the area, including the ‘Kingston Green Infrastructure, Energy and Water’ project with the Royal Borough of Kingston Council (RBK).

Ahead of Earth Hour event later this month, which will be observed in more than 180 countries and see iconic landmarks and streets go dark to help raise awareness about climate change, Environment Trust issued some pointers to help people get involved in tackling climate change and ecological breakdown.

Some of the tips clarified more well-known energy-saving ideas like turning lights off when leaving the room.

They also offered some innovative ways people can lower their environmental impacts, such as growing 'bee-friendly' plants like lavender, hawthorn, ivy, rosemary and runner beans "to support threatened species who pollinate much of the food that makes our diet healthy."

Environment Trust CEO Berny Simcox said that, despite the growth of Earth Hour into a global phenomenon, this form of awareness raising needed to be followed by people taking concrete measures to reduce their environmental impacts.

Ms Simcox said: "With the spread of social media, international campaigns like Earth Hour have grown impressively. In order to make a lasting impact they depend upon our commitment to our own neighbourhoods and thinking about our daily lives.

"Turning off the lights for an hour is not designed to be a one-off gesture but helps us think about how to save energy and conserve the planet in a lasting way.

"Even the simplest actions, when undertaken by enough people, can make a huge difference and can also save us money."

Earth Hour started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. It is now recognised in 180 countries and territories worldwide.

Last year, more than nine million people took part in the UK, with iconic landmarks including Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster and Buckingham Palace and others switching off their lights for the event.

On the same day as Earth Hour Environment Trust is running a Duke of Edinburgh's volunteering day at Fishponds Open Space in Berrylands, Kingston, where volunteers will work with people from the community to pick up litter and spruce up the park.

For more information on the Berrylands event, go to: www.environmenttrust.org/duke-of-edinburgh-forthcoming-dates

More information on Earth Hour, which is taking place worldwide on March 30 at 8.30pm, can be found at: www.earthhour.org