Earth Hour is March 31st at around 8:30 in the evening.
I’ll be sitting home in the dark with a single candle illuminating the blackness. Why you might ask? Well it’s not because I forgot to pay my electric bill.
For those of you who might be questioning my motivation (and perhaps my sanity), I’ll be one of millions of other environmentally conscious individuals on the planet who will participate in this year’s Earth Hour.
From their website: Hundreds of millions of people, businesses and governments around the world unite each year to support the largest environmental event in history – Earth Hour.
More than 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries worldwide switched off their lights for Earth Hour 2011 alone, sending a powerful message for action on climate change. It also ushered in a new era with members going Beyond the Hour to commit to lasting action for the planet. Without a doubt, it’s shown how great things can be achieved when people come together for a common cause.
My wife and I have participated in all the Earth Hour events and many times people ask us what do you do for an hour with no television on, no radio blasting, no lights?
Honestly it’s a whole lot of fun. We sit on the couch with some snacks and just talk and laugh – reconnecting with each other and ourselves. It’s almost like living back in the days before electricity. Imagine how simplistic, serine and peaceful life must have been back then. People had no choice but to communicate with each other and connect on a daily basis – something definitely missing from life today.
It’s rare that we’re ever asked to live our lives void of all the technologies we’ve grown so dependent on. Earth Hour not only sends a positive message, but it also gives us an opportunity to take a break from the constant noise life seems to bombard us with and allows us to enjoy the silence we rarely get to hear.
Fred Rogers once said, “It’s so tempting for some people to turn on the television set or the radio when they first walk into a room or get in the car…to fill any space with noise. I wonder what some people are afraid might happen in the silence. Some of us must have forgotten how nourishing silence can be. How many times have you noticed it’s the little quiet moments in the midst of life that seem to give the rest extra-special meaning?”
While Earth Hour is designed to alert world leaders and everyday people from sea to shining sea that global warming is a reality, it shows me just how important it is to reconnect with each other.
