Earth Hour, which celebrates the connections among people
throughout the world, happens tonight between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m.
local time, when participants turn off their lights for an
hour.
What each of us does with that hour is a personal decision, but
it is a great time for families to get together and have some fun,
with at least a passing discussion of the environmental issues that
concern us.
Tomorrow evening is the annual event known as Earth Hour, when
people throughout the world turn off their lights as a symbolic
gesture of environmental unity. See Earth Hour
homepage.
Granted, turning out the lights by itself doesn’t do much to
help the Earth, but I find that it is a good time to think about
the environment, including climate change, and consider what each
of us can do.
Most of the time, my wife and I — occasionally with family and
friends — take a moment to appreciate what we have, discuss things
in general or play a game. The grandkids like to play Hide and Seek
in our darkened house.
Earth Hour is celebrated in 7,000 cities and 178 countries and
territories, according to officials with World Wildlife Fund, which
initiated the event 10 years ago in 2007. Hundreds of lighted
structures, monuments and buildings go dark from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.
along with millions of households. In Seattle, Earth Hour is
recognized by the:
If you do an online search for “Earth Hour,” you’ll find lots of
people, organizations and businesses around the world participating
in this annual event on Saturday. But it appears that enthusiasm in
the U.S. and especially Washington state may be waning.
Earth Hour involves the simple act of uniting people throughout
the world by turning off the lights, television and other
electrical devices for an hour — from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Started in
2007 by the World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour sends the message that
everyone can be involved in reducing the effects of climate
change.
Through the years, I have enjoyed the quiet time, sometimes with
family and friends, sometimes with just my wife. Although it seems
like a good time to discuss the challenges of climate change, our
conversations don’t often go in that direction. Instead, we take a
moment to appreciate what we have, talk about things in general or
play some sort of game. Hide and Seek in a darkened house is what
the kids want to do.
I noticed in my online search that various restaurants around
the globe are offering candlelight dinners during Earth Hour this
year. I like that idea, although I’m not sure if it fits into the
pure spirit of Earth Hour. Still, to get out and be among a larger
group of people would be nice.
The Tundra
Restaurant & Bar in Toronto, Canada, has created a special menu
of locally grown foods for this Saturday’s Earth Hour. All 17
Brasserie Blanc restaurants in England will be celebrating the
hour. The
DoubleTree Inn in Victoria to the north of here will be dimming
the lights throughout the hotel and encouraging people to recognize
Earth Hour.
“This year, we invite Finns to participate in the biggest candle
light dinner in the world to awake conversation about ecologically
responsible food. We ask people to turn off lights, light up
candles and spend an hour with their loved ones enjoying
climate-friendly food.
“Food touches every single person, and about 20 percent of our
emissions are caused by what we eat. Approximately 60 percent of
the emissions are caused in the production and most of them are
related to producing meat, eggs and dairy.
“One of the most important things an individual can do to
protect climate is eating less meat and more vegetables and
sustainable seafood. Thinking about what we eat is a small act with
great impact. Organize your own candle light dinner and show your
support for action on climate change!”
These are just a few examples of how people are getting into
Earth Hour in other countries. However, I’m finding it harder each
year to find participants in Washington state, which has always
been a major part of the environmental movement. Check out the
participant list.
The Space Needle and Pacific Science Center remain on the list
for going dark. (I’m not sure how the Space Needle restaurant is
involved.) Several other local groups on last year’s list have not
signed up so far this year.
The World Wildlife Fund boasts of support from 42,000 cities and
towns from 172 countries around the world. In Washington state,
Snoqualmie is the only city posted on the official participants
list, although Seattle is involved in the challenge to become
Earth
Hour Capital.
In addition to the Space Needle and Pacific Science Center,
landmarks going dark Saturday include the Golden Gate Bridge in San
Francisco, the Empire State Building in New York, Big Ben and
Buckingham Palace in London, the Forbidden City in Beijing, the
Eiffel Towel in Paris, the Borobudur and Prambanan temples in
Indonesia, and the Opera House in Sydney, where it all started.
Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle, a Filipino Cardinal of the Roman
Catholic Church, urged his followers in Manila to be one with the
rest of the world, as part of Pope Francis’ call for “ecological
justice,” according to a story by reporter Leslie Ann Aquino in the
Manila Bulletin.
St. James Cathedral, Seattle //
Photo: Wikipedia
“Let’s turn off our appliances and other things that use
electricity to give our world a little rest,” Tagle was quoted as
saying.
This year, for the first time, St. James Cathedral in Seattle
will participate in Earth Day by darkening its exterior, thus
“bringing awareness to the issue of climate change in the spirit of
Laudato Si, Pope Francis’ encyclical on environment and
poverty,” according to Earth
Ministry’s website.
Perhaps before Saturday additional newcomers will become part of
Earth Hour, as others renew their participation in the annual
event.
I admit it seems kind of quaint, but I look forward to turning
out all the lights in my house once a year and sitting in the dark.
It’s a time to contemplate all our marvels of technology while
considering the needs of many people around the world.
Earth Hour is coming up on Saturday beginning at 8:30 p.m. The
question of the hour: What can we each do to make things
better?
If you get the chance, bring your family and/or friends
together. You can go out to dinner or do other things before or
after the designated hour, but for 60 minutes let your thoughts
wander to other places in the world.
For me, that kind of reflection is enough for the moment, but
the Earth Hour
website talks about inspiring people to join environmental
projects across the globe. By reviewing the website, Earth Hour can
become a time of learning about worthwhile causes. Listen to Jason
Priestly and others in the video player on this page.
If you want to make a difference, check out the five-step
program for creating an Earth Hour event. Maybe think about
doing something over the next year and sharing it on the Earth Hour
website in 2015.
What I like about Earth Hour is that it unites people from
around the world, if only for an hour. For those who wish to take a
leadership role, Earth Hour is one place to start. As founder Andy
Ridley says in a
news release:
“What makes Earth Hour different is that it empowers people to
take charge and use their power to make a difference. The movement
inspires a mixture of collective and individual action, so anyone
can do their part.”
Earth Hour begins each year in New Zealand, the first place the
clock strikes 8:30 on the designated Saturday night.
Famous landmarks involved in the lights-out event include the
Empire State Building, New York; Tower Bridge, London; Edinburgh
Castle, Scotland; Brandenburg Gate, Berlin; the Eiffel Tower,
Paris; the Kremlin, Moscow; and the Bosphorus Bridge connecting
Europe to Asia.
If you don’t have it marked on your calendar, Saturday at 8:30
p.m. marks the start of Earth Hour, when people around the world
turn off their lights for an hour to show their concern for climate
change.
This is my fourth year to commemorate Earth Hour, and I look
forward to the quiet time. I see Earth Hour as a big event, because
it is happening throughout the world, but also as a small event,
because it is so simple.
Last year, the event’s sponsor, World Wildlife Fund, added a new
element called the “I
will if you will” challenge. The video-based challenge calls
for individuals or groups to promise to do something worthwhile
(sometimes big) if a lot of other people will do something else
worthwhile (usually easy). You should check out some of the
videos.
This year, I must also congratulate our Salish Sea neighbors
across the Canadian border, considering that Vancouver, B.C., was
named “Global Earth Hour Capital.”
Six finalists were named during this first Earth Hour City
Challenge. Besides Vancouver, the other finalists were Forlì,
Italy; New Delhi, India; Oslo, Norway; Uppsala, Sweden; and San
Francisco, USA.
In announcing the
winner, Jim Leape, director general of WWF-International, had
this to say about Vancouver:
“Local governments around the world are striving to create
attractive, smart cities while tackling a multitude of urgent
environmental challenges. Vancouver can serve as a role model for
how cities can engage residents in these efforts, thereby
accelerating the transition towards low carbon development.
“I applaud Vancouver’s vision and innovation. More cities
everywhere need to find inspiration in the bold initiatives of
Vancouver and the other finalists and build on them, bringing
climate action at the scale and speed necessary to secure
sustainable, attractive lifestyles for people across the
planet.”
The city was recognized for its “impressive transportation
strategy” along with its food and neighborhood energy plans. For
example, all new buildings in the city are called on to be carbon
neutral by 2020, when more than half of the trips by residents are
to be by foot, bicycle or public transit.
Earth Hour is this Saturday beginning at 8:30 p.m. The annual
event is a chance for everyone on Earth to connect with everyone
else by turning off their lights for an hour.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve found the symbolic event to be an
enjoyable time for sitting quietly in the dark with a few candles
and discussing with my family what we can do as individuals,
joining with others, to make this a better world.
As others have said, all important movements start with small
actions. I like Earth Hour, because one is joining something both
big and small. It’s big because it is taking place throughout the
world. It’s small because it is such a simple thing.
Here’s a quick reminder that Earth Hour is Saturday from 8:30 to
9:30 p.m. I’ve found it to be an enjoyable hour of sitting in the
dark and talking to my family about what we can do as individuals,
joining with others, to make this a better world. It also saves
some electricity.
As I explained when I decided to join this demonstration two
years ago, all important movements start with small actions. By
taking part in Earth Hour, one is joining something both big and
small. It’s big because it is taking place throughout the world.
It’s small because it is such a simple thing. Review
Water Ways from March 25, 2009.
I guess if Earth Hour is good enough for United Nations
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Kitsap County commissioners,
it’s good enough for me.
I was going to ignore this so-called demonstration, which is
supposed to show that all of us can address the problems of climate
change and together make a difference. Just a waste a time, I
thought.
Then I realized that all important movements start with small
actions. I talked to my wife Sue about it, and we decided that it
wouldn’t hurt us to turn off our lights for an hour on Saturday
night. We would be part of something bigger than ourselves. See the
national Web site for Earth Hour.
“Earth Hour is a way for the citizens of the world to send a
clear message. In New York, we will switch out the lights at U.N.
Headquarters. Other U.N. facilities around the world will also take
part.
“I urge citizens everywhere to join us. Please send a strong
message on climate change. Together we can find a solution to this
most serious of global challenges.”
In a
unanimous resolution (PDF 76 kb), the Kitsap County Board of
Commissioners “encourages the participation of all Kitsap County
citizens.”
Other governments, including the city
of Seattle, also are participating.
If you’d like to join me and millions of others in this symbolic
event, you may register at a Web site called “Washington State Earth Hour.”
Click on the map to register and check out who else has placed his
or her name on the line.
