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!

On March 29, 2008, turn out the lights and unplug. For 60 minutes - can you do it?

When I first heard about Earth Hour I was befuddled. What is the point? Light in the form of candles (or lighters, or now cell phones) is a sign of solidarity. Taking that light away - will it be as powerful?

Apparently it is. Earth Hour started in Sydney, Australia to “inspire people to take action on climate change”. Symbolism aside, that one hour in 2007 saw (or rather, left in the darkness) 2.2 million people and 2100 businesses, saving the energetic equivalent of taking 48,000 cars off the road for a year.

Major cities around the world - Melbourne, Toronto and Copenhagen, for example - are participating in the 2008 world Earth Hour. But of course smaller cities can (and should) be involved too.

So, how do you get involved?

• Turn off your lights (and ideally, computers and other energy-using appliances) at 8 p.m. local time on March 29, 2008.
• tell your friends. If your real-life friends tune out, try networking or posting a link through Myspace or Facebook.
• If your community is not yet participating, have it added to Earth Hour’s list.
• To kill time until March 29, check out the Earth Hour supporter map - a 3D look at where in the world people are participating. Ironically, they are represented by lighted dots.

Now it is possible to look up eco-friendly events in your area, sorted by location and date. Planetfriendly.org has released their Green and Environmental Conferences Calendar. Topics range from pollution to green homes to cars and pedestrians. If you have an event to promote, you can also submit it to be posted.

While the site is Canadian-based, more and more international events are being added. Planetfriendly’s Green Jobs in Canada board is busily trafficked with new worldwide job opportunities posted every day.

If you have never browsed through the site, set aside some time to go through its fabulous resources.