Earth Hour

Photo from wwf.ca

Today is Earth Hour. Basically at 8:30 everyone is encouraged to shut off their lights for an hour and light candles to show our care and concern for Earth. Famous landmarks like Big Ben and the Empire State building will also being going dark. People are encouraged to light candles during the hour.

There are people who are for it and against it. Good arguments are made on both sides.

I have to work so I can’t participate or at least not intentionally. But after reading arguments for both sides I can see their points.

Symbolic acts done in an effort to draw attention to something are important. But if no action is carried out what was the point? If you turn off your lights for an hour once a year and believe that it is some kind of penance for living a wasteful life the rest of the year your are severely mistaken. This is the problem with acts like this or recycling*.

On the flip side an act like this brings you into the community of like-minded individuals that care about the planet. It can be a time to reconnect with the family and get away from the idiot box. And it can be the first step to a longer journey where you begin to take action in helping change and save the world.

So let’s try this: turn off your lights for one hour tonight, light candles (beeswax or soy please, paraffin are made from oil and pollute), enjoy time with your friends and family, but commit to one of the following acts when the light comes back on:

• ·      Change at least one of your incandescent bulbs for a CFL or LED
• ·      Keep your AC at least one degree higher this year (i.e. if you keep it on 72°F bump it up to 73°F)
• ·      Plant a tree
• ·      Write your congressman and tell them to say no to Keystone XL pipeline
• ·      Switch over at least a small portion of your electricity to renewable
• ·      Recycle and compost
• ·      Donate old clothes instead of throwing them away
• ·      Visit a farmer’s market at least once a month this summer
• ·      Turn off the TV for an hour a week and have reading time
• ·      Take a walk once a month this summer
• ·      Start a garden
• ·      Do without a new, fancy electronic gizmo
• ·      Have at least one meatless day of eating a week
• ·      Switch to at least one organic food to replace a conventional
• ·      Find one needless trip you take a month and skip it
• ·      Turn your hot water heater down to 120°F

*In the case of recycling people believe it is ok to continue to buy plastics in all sorts because they recycle it. Recycling just delays the trip to the landfill. Instead of thinking it is ok to buy plastic because you recycle think of ways to get stuff without plastic as much as possible and recycle what you can’t get any other way.