This past Saturday evening was the 5th annual World Wildlife Fund event, Earth Hour. The largest voluntary action of energy conservation with more than 120 countries participating. This is wonderful news! But, this doesn’t mean that everyone participated. Obviously, there were many that just claimed, “I forgot about it”, “I didn’t see it advertised”  or (even worse) “It’s too much of an inconvenience”. These people (we all know them) will probably be the ones that turn every light and appliance in the house on without thinking globally of their actions. Here’s my problem with this Earth Hour thing. It’s always on a Saturday evening. Think about it. In general, people are going to be out of their homes during this time. They’ll be in places where they have no control over the energy being used (ex. a restaurant or movie theatre).  If Earth Hour really wants to make an impact and make some news do it on a busy week night. I can hear it now, “But, wait, I have to run my dishwasher, reply to emails and put my laundry in the dryer”.  The point is that yes, Earth Hour is an inconvenience if you live a lifestyle that is dictated by electricity. But think about the greater inconvenience if we lived in a community with no electricity, no modern appliances and no computers! Just imagine if Earth Hour wasn’t a voluntary action. Imagine if it was mandatory. So what did I do for Earth Hour? I invited some friends over that I haven’t seen in a long time. We had such a great time catching up that we lost track of time and our lights stayed off well past the hour.

About the Author: josh
Inspired by the colours of nature and the characters he meets, this creative,visual story teller offers a window into his world as a designer and tree enthusiast. Enjoy the view.

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