At 8:00 pm March 29th, we turned off our lights and all non-essential electric appliances for one hour in observance of Earth Hour.
Our daughter Willow got a huge kick out of turning off all the lights and getting around the house via candle light (wouldn’t you know all the flashlights were out of batteries!). She had her nightly bath, got ready for bed and even had a bed time story by candle light. We discussed with her the reason to save energy and turn off lights when we don’t need them. I’m not sure how much a three year old understanding about global warming but she does know ‘turn off the lights to save the trees’.
I think she’s got the message and now every night she wants to do Earth Hour. For the past three nights we have turned off all lights at her bath time and ran the whole light less routine over again … at least until she’s in bed.
All in all Earth Hour was a great experience for our family. Not only did we feel like we were part of an important global movement but we also spent quality time together.
Earth Hour was created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced, Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming.
On March 31 2007, for one hour, Sydney made a powerful statement about the greatest contributor to global warming – coal-fired electricity – by turning off its lights. Over 2.2 million Sydney residents and over 2,100 businesses switched off, leading to a 10.2% energy reduction across the city. What began as one city taking a stand against global warming caught the attention of the world.
In 2008, 24 global cities participated in Earth Hour at 8pm on March 29. Earth Hour is the highlight of a major campaign to encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take the simple steps needed to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis. It is about simple changes that will collectively make a difference – from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty, to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby.
