Power down for an hour! Celebrate Earth Hour 2009.
There is just over one week left until Earth Hour arrives. Please tell me you are planning to power down for the measly one hour. Maybe two - do I hear 3 hours of powering down??
What is Earth Hour? You can go to www.earthhour.org and watch the coolest trailer - shivers guaranteed!!! Or, the website explains, "In 2007, 2.2 million people took part in the world's first Earth Hour in Sydney Australia. Just one year later, 50 million people in 370 cities and towns, in more than 35 countries worldwide switched off their lights for Earth Hour.
Earth Hour 2009 aims to reach more than one billion people in 1000 cities around the world, inviting communities, business and governments to switch off lights for one hour at 8:30pm on Saturday, March 28 and sending a powerful global message that we care enough about climate change to take action."
It is one hour out of an entire year to power down, unplug, switch off and plan some fun activities. Over 60 Canadian cities participated last year including Calgary - where I am located. Calgary's electrical usage actually INCREASED during that hour. Yep, that is right, Calgarians used more power during that hour during a movement with over 50 million participants specifically designed to reduce the burning of fossil fuels and outputting of carbon - that means less pollution for you and your family to breathe! We do have a dismal environment reputation and blaming the fact that there was a hockey game on that night is pretty bad - and sad.
So, no matter where you live what are you and your friends and family planning to do to show your support for our planet' resources and the future clean air of your children? You can...
1) Turn off all non-essential lights and unplug all non-essential electrical devices (Wii included) on Saturday, March 28 at 8:30 pm.
2) Sign-up at www.earthhour.org.
3) Plan some fun activities. Play games or tell stories by candlelight. Go for a walk to see the darkness. Reconnect with friends by doing that talking thing. Be creative or chill out and relax. Just participate.
If you absolutely can't be part of Earth Hour at the designated time, commit to do it at another time. You can also power down for MORE than an hour and/or start earlier with the little ones. The kids will love it! Show them the video clip, read some nature stories - they will climb aboard the "Save the Earth" train with little convincing. It is their future and we need to leave it in good repair for them.
Have fun in the dark!
Kerry