Yesterday I received an email reminding me that the 10th annual Earth Hour event is coming up. For one hour, millions around the world turn off their lights as a symbol of commitment to the planet. I first heard about Earth Hour and observed it in 2008 which was the event’s second year. We’ve been observing it ever since.
I initially read about Earth Hour on someone else’s blog. It sounded intriguing so I checked out the website and read more about it. One hour without lights? That was certainly easy enough. But since then I have learned more about it and why it’s more than just turning off lights for an hour.
If you aren’t familiar with Earth Hour, here is a brief overview:
Over the years we have usually observed Earth Hour with a candlelight dinner. Each time we have been reminded how enjoyable it is to slow down and enjoy the simple pleasure of a leisurely meal by candlelight. We have music playing quietly in the background but we put away our phones for that full hour. In fact, when that hour is up we don’t hurry to to turn on the lights and get back into our usual busy-ness. It hasn’t been unusual for us to leave the lights off another hour or so. I’ve done dishes by candlelight and sometimes we’ll play a game after dinner. One year the weather was gorgeous so we ate outdoors and then continued our Earth Hour observation with one of our favorite activities…stargazing.
I see this year it is scheduled at 8:30 but I’m pretty sure it’s been a bit earlier in the past. We aren’t early dinner eaters but 8:30 is a little late, even for us. Still, the time is not the real point. If 8:30 doesn’t work for you for some reason, choose your own hour. I think this year we will begin our observation at whatever time we eat dinner and then continue it until 9:30. Or later, even.
I know there are some who don’t see the point. What difference does it make to turn off your lights for an hour? But Earth Hour is about so much more. Turning off the lights is simply a visual representation of an ongoing effort to fight climate change and protect our environment on a daily basis.
Here are ways you can make a difference on a daily basis:
10 ways to celebrate Earth Hour daily!
Small actions done regularly by millions of people add up to monumental change. It’s all too easy to look at a huge, worldwide problem like climate change and just give up in despair. But we each have a role to play and it DOES matter.
Below are links to previous posts I’ve written about Earth Hour. Some of these are on another blog of mine, The Well-Groomed Hippie. I haven’t posted much there since I started Life With Dee. Every once in awhile I think about reviving it but then I realize I don’t actually have the time.
If you are interested in participating in Earth Hour this year, you can read more and sign up below:
Have you participated before? If so, I’d love to hear how you celebrated in the past. Or how you plan to this year. I’m thinking that since this is the 10 Year Anniversary I should plan something special. Any ideas?
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The header image I have on my blog is one I won as part of an Earth hour contest. We were to write a post about how we observed it, and I ended up writing one that essentially made the point that Earth Hour is an excellent thing, but being more aware , and reducing your carbon footprint where posible, is something that needs to happen more than just one hour of the year.
You are so right. It’s the little things we do day in and day out which have the biggest long term impact. How cool that you won that contest!
Yay for promoting Earth Hour! I think it’s great, as it really makes people aware of how much of the earth’s resources we consume. Hopefully we’ll all carry that awareness beyond the hour, and into a lifestyle change of less consumption! Good on you for promoting it!
I’ve been observing Earth Hour almost since the beginning. It’s coming up again soon! I probably need to get another blog post out there. 🙂