It feels a little like waiting for the ball to drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Earth Hour will finally arrive tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. local time. What will you be doing for that hour? Why not join the estimated one billion people in 1000 cities “going dark” for Earth Hour? Don’t be left in the light.
The Earth Hour event is a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) initiative designed to remind people to take action on climate change. In case you haven’t heard, the goal is for as many individuals, businesses, communities, and governments as possible to turn off all nonessential lighting for one hour. It’s a dramatic symbol of unity in the fight against what many believe to be the most serious of all the environmental problems.
This is the third annual Earth Hour event, with 64 countries expected to participate. Landmarks that will go dark include the Roman Colosseum, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, and Times Square’s Coca Cola billboard. According to the WWF, lights switched off for Earth Hour will be “symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.”
WWF and the Experience Project (EP) are teaming up to involve the public in several interesting ways. EP calls itself “the largest site for anonymously connecting and sharing common experiences.” EP will also go dark during Earth Hour. According to an EP press release, “For every 100 points EP members pledge (points are earned by participating in challenges, posting stories, etc.), the site will go dark for one second. The goal is to keep the site dark for as long as possible.”
Additional EP initiatives include “a 30 day challenge to turnoff all unnecessary appliances, signing a petition to conserve energy, or playing trivia games where accrued points can be used to buy time to keep the EP homepage dark during the day of the event.” Join us at BPGL with your own pledge to go dark on the EP site.
Facebook users can also earn “Earth Minutes” by sending messages that urge their Facebook friends to participate in Earth Hour. By reaching 60 friends, users will achieve the equivalent of 60 minutes of Earth Hour participation.
Joining the Earth Hour initiative is easy. All it takes is the simple flip of a light switch. But don’t sit there in the dark secretly watching your TV behind closed curtains. Get in the spirit. Turn off all nonessential lights and appliances — yes, including that TV. Get together with people who matter to you. Make a party of it. Lie out under the stars, if you can see them. Huddle together by a fireplace. Or just lounge in your living space and talk. Share stories about the natural world you remember from your youth. Share dreams of the future you’d like to leave for your grandchildren. Make plans to reduce your own carbon footprint and reduce your own impact on climate change. Together we can make a positive difference. (Yes, we can.)
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