This is the 5th year of Earth Hour (it began in Australia in 2007 when 2.2M people and 2,000 businesses turned off their lights for an hour as a message about climate change). The following year, it became a global initiative with other countries, including the Philippines, joining in.
Since it began in the Philippines in 2008, my family has taken part as seen from my posts:
The urgency to take action and reverse the effects of climate change can no longer be ignored. The recent quakes that are getting stronger and more frequent are already signs that our Earth is not as it was before and that it is the effect of decades and decades of abuse to Mother Earth. Stronger typhoons, floods in places that never flooded before, drought in once lush places and more should be enough evidence that to save our planet, it takes the whole world to join hands.
This year, my family will again join the rest of the world as we turn off our lights at exactly 8:30pm and keep it off for an hour. Beyond lights, we’re actually going to turn off other appliances as well, including our computers, save for those that necessitate security. I’m leaving my modem on though so I can document our observance of Earth Hour using my iPad and keep up with the Earth Hour goings-on in the rest of the world.
This year’s theme is “Going Beyond the Hour”. Turning off lights for an hour is just a symbolic gesture. More importantly, saving energy needs to be our ongoing lifestyle. I was involved recently in a green campaign and those few months made me painfully aware of all the mistakes I have been committing, adding my own pollutants to Mother Earth. I am slowly trying to change our habits here at home and going green and organic.
Here’s a video of Earth Hour 2011:
HOW ARE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY OBSERVING EARTH HOUR?
Let’s all join hands on March 26, 2011, 8:30-9:30pm. Wherever you are, turn off your lights in support of saving Mother Earth.