Enviro-mental

How did you spend your Earth Hour 2008?

Buried deep in a pile of work, I spent this Saturday night holed up in my den. But I did turn out the lights, and turned off the computer, too. It’s quieter than I remembered without the hum of my desktop.

After eating a dinner by candlelight (which is less bright than I thought it would be), I peaked my head out to assess whether others on my street were participating. Although more than 32,000 Torontonians signed up, apparently not many of those were in my neighbourhood.

Reflections

Some things I pondered during my hour in the dark.

1. Before electricity, people must have been a lot more rested. There’s nothing to do with no power!
2. Being in the dark is a lot more fun if you have some friends to talk to.
3. Everything relies on power these days, even things that don’t strictly have to. My portable phone, for example, uses a non-electric phone line but needs power from electricity.
4. Electricity is used by appliances I never even considered. To reduce power consumption, I would have to un-plug my computer printer (it does not turn off!), keep my fish tanks in the dark, un-plug the digital clocks in my kitchen, and wake up with the sun instead of my alarm clock.
5. I was lucky enough to not be part of the summer black-out a few years ago. Now I understand, and it’s winter. It gets dark earlier. Most of my entertainment (computer, Wii, TV) relies on power. And I rely on it for food. What would happen if the power went out for longer, or for good? Time to make a contingency plan.

Take-Home Messages from Earth Hour 2008

• I will remember to turn off appliances and lights when not in use
• I will make an effort to go technology-free once a day; this will hopefully help reduce stress and give me some time to myself
• I will invest in some good books with large print, suitable for reading by candlelight!