Since Manila joined Sydney and the rest of the world a few years back in turning lights off for an hour, my family has been doing the same at home.
In the last few years, the signs of climate change have become more obvious and scary. Severe flooding and landslides, more dangerous typhoons, weird weather patterns. So many lives have been lost unnecessarily and sadly. No one can turn a blind eye to the immediate need to do something in one’s own backyard. NOW. Earth Hour is one way of showing the world that an hour of darkness can save that much energy. So we’re trying to do our share…
Yes, the kids get fidgety about tuning out of the internet but after a few minutes around a dark living room with just candles giving out light, conversation starts up and before we know it, we have reclaimed our lives offline.
Today we will continue tradition but with a twist. I will join a free yoga class by Rianna Gatus as part of her birthday celebration. We will do 26 Surya Namaskars or Sun Salutations to celebrate her 26 years of life. Afterwards some lady bloggers and I are heading off to a restaurant nearby which is observing Earth Hour to celebrate another birthday – fellow yogini Ria.
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.
On this day, people all over the world will turn off their appliances and lights for one hour starting at 8:30 PM.
This will be the third year that my family will be joining this endeavor. Here are my 2008 and 2009 posts on it.
We can no longer ignore the effects of climate change. Just see the frequency and intensity of earthquakes happening around the world. In my own country, the Philippines, we are now experiencing a very harsh El Nino with very little rain and drought in many agricultural places. Last year, we were hit by Typhoon Ondoy which brought floods to Metro Manila in places that have never experienced floods. Many other countries are experiencing freak weather activities as well.
Rather than leave it up to the different governments around the world to do something about it, we should act as individuals, living on this one and only home planet of ours, to make changes and adapt greener and more eco-friendly lifestyles.
You can support Earth Hour by:
1. Turning off your lights at 8.30PM on March 27
2. Showing your support and adding yourself to the Earth Hour world map
3. Adding Earth Hour widgets, logos and banners to your blog or website to help us spread the word
4. Talking about Earth Hour in your social network by updating your Facebook status, grabbing a Twibbon, tweeting about your support, and more
5. Get together with your friends and family, by hosting an Earth Hour party or holding your own candlelit affair
6. Rally your local council or community group to run an Earth Hour event for your community
7. Encourage your employer and workmates to take part in Earth Hour and make energy savings every day
8. Make an Earth Hour Lantern as a symbol of hope for the future
9. Be creative! Find a new way to mark Earth Hour and let Earth Hour know all about it!
They said it was lights out only for Earth Hour. But here at home, we shut off major appliances as well, including our computers/modem. For an hour, the house was pitch dark save for lights around the house perimeter for safety. Only candles served as our source of light while having dinner.
Yes, we had a candlelit dinner for once. And the kids had a chance to chat and tell stories without the distractions of TV, the internet or their gaming devices.
Tomorrow we will see what level of participation the Philippines had in this one hour. From social networking sites, it appears that many participated but still there is room for a lot of improvement in coming years. What is important is that we take the first step individually, as a community, and as a nation to take care of the one home we have — Earth.
Where were you during Earth Hour? And what did you do? Do share…
Below I will post links to blogs of friends who participated in Earth Hour:
MARCH 28, 2009 — SATURDAY — 8:30 PM — ONE HOUR — LIGHTS OUT!!! Over 930 cities and towns in 80 countries, across 25 time zones are expected to power down for Earth Hour 2009.
This year, it is being taken to another level. The Earth Hour website describes how it has evolved since it first started in 2007:
Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.
In 2009, Earth Hour is being taken to the next level, with the goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote. Unlike any election in history, it is not about what country you’re from, but instead, what planet you’re from. VOTE EARTH is a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community. A call to stand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday.
We all have a vote, and every single vote counts. Together we can take control of the future of our planet, for future generations.
VOTE EARTH by simply switching off your lights for one hour, and join the world for Earth Hour.
This will be my second year to participate in Earth Hour. Last year, we turned off our lights at home at exactly 8:30PM Manila time to join the numerous countries doing so.
New Zealand will be the first country to turn its lights off and over the next 24 hours, we will see a wave of lights going off in the different time zones of Earth. Manila is a participant in this event, with Rizal Park and Manila Cathedral poised to turn off its lights and countdown events happen in different areas of the metropolis.The Earth Hour site describes Manila’s participation:
Last year in the Philippines, millions of people switched off their lights to signal their support of this global warming action. Manila, being the largest city, will be a big focus this year and Earth Hour continues to spread its positive message about the importance of energy saving. The Department of Energy in the Philippines is a supporter of the Earth Hour campaign.
Local businesses in Manila are contributing to Earth Hour and will be switching off their lights on the night. Thousands of people, around the Philippines, will be coming together to light a candle in support of this global warming awareness initiative.
(Update, 3/19): I am happy to note that not only Manila will be participating. This article shows that Earth Hour will be observed nationwide.)
What can YOU do to participate in Earth Hour 2009?
1. Register your vote with Earth Hour and join in the bid to reach 1 billion votes for Mother Earth. Sign up here.
2. Write a blog post about Earth Hour’s Vote Earth movement. The results of the election will be presented at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009, so help get the world talking! Tag your blog so others can join in, with tags like ‘VOTE EARTH’, ‘Earth Hour’, ‘Copenhagen’, and ‘global warming’.
3. Email your friends. Encourage them to email their friends and so on. Before you know it, you would have created a ripple of votes for Earth.
4. Twitter it. Say as much as you can about VOTE EARTH in 140 characters. In the countdown to Earth Hour, you can let others know about what you’re up to every step of the way. Make sure you include ‘#VOTEEARTH’ in all tweets so others can follow your messages.
5. On March 28, record your Earth Hour experience. Take a photo about Earth Hour and post it on their Flickr group. Make a video of the event and post it on their YouTube group. Write a live blog post during the event and tag it earthhour or voteearth. Update your Twitter status on the night and tag it #earthhour or #voteearth.
Want to be part of the Manila Earth Hour 2008? Wish you could do something to generate awareness of climate change, energy conservation, saving Mother Earth?
TURN OFF YOUR LIGHTS BETWEEN 8-9 PM LATER TONIGHT!
This is a global campaign which Manila is part of. Mayor Atienza has already pledged to turn off lights along Roxas Blvd. My yoga friend Trin, who works for WWF (a major sponsor/supporter of Earth Hour) texted me earlier that they are having a countdown along CCP’s lawn in Roxas Blvd. at 7 PM.
For more details about Earth Hour, its objectives and cities participating, click HERE to read my earlier blog post.
It looks like there is a groundswell of support for this campaign, which is really heartwarming to see.
* When I went to get my sons’ report cards yesterday, I saw a large tarpaulin announcing Earth Hour
* Just today, I already received several texts announcing this and requesting people to join
* Good friend Aly plans a candlelit pizza dinner with the family
* Today, my daughter and I bonded at Boni High Street while waiting for our youngest who spent the afternoon with a classmate in Makati. There, too, the stores will be joining Earth Hour by turning off 50% of their lights.
* Here at home, it will also be lights out for an hour. Although we are going out for dinner, the househelp have already been asked to turn off all our lights.
I will be bringing my digicam along later just in case there will be camera moments relevant to Earth Hour.
