Posted on 03/19/2010 6:33:37 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
(There are many candlelit activities to do with family or friends when you turn off the lights for an hour to raise awareness about climate change.)
Q: Earth Hour is coming up on March 27 and I, for one, am excited to get in on the action and turn off my lights. One question though – what the heck am I supposed to do in the dark for a whole hour?
A: You’ve come to the right place, my friend. For those of you who don’t know, the World Wildlife Fund started Earth Hour three years ago, asking people to turn off their lights for one hour to raise awareness about the need to take action on climate change. It has since become a global phenomenon, with more and more people turning out their lights each year.
In 2009, nearly 1 billion people in 4,100 cities in 87 countries on seven continents turned out their lights for Earth Hour. The only question many people have is exactly yours. What am I supposed to do in the dark for a whole hour? Well, I’ve got some great ideas for ways you can spend Earth Hour. And you know what? These activities are so fun, you won’t even remember to turn on the lights come 9:30.
Eat a candlelit dinner.
Prepare the whole meal in advance and make sure the table’s set, so you don’t stab anyone with the dinner knives while trying to set the table in the dark. Then, once you switch off the lights, settle down at the table and enjoy a candlelit dinner. Whether it’s with your honey, your family, or just a friend or two, you’ll be sure to enjoy.
If you’ve got kids, play games with or tell them stories.
How often is Saturday night just movie night? This Saturday night, get the kids together for some ghost stories by candlelight or a game of Monopoly. If you’re really ambitious, you can even try building a fort with them in your living room.
Look at old picture albums.
In this day and age, everything’s electronic — on a hard drive, a memory card, a USB stick, in an online album somewhere on the Internet. You get my point. For Earth Hour, why not pull out the dusty albums from years past (everybody’s got one somewhere) and leaf through some old pictures of yourself or your family by candlelight. You can even make it into a game (“Who can find the only picture ever taken of Grandma in a two-piece?”). It’s sure to make for some good times, good memories and some great stories.
Get some friends together for a game night.
What says, 'I care about the Earth' more than Taboo by candlelight? And the best part of it is, it’ll be dark enough that nobody will see you cheating.
Go outside for some stargazing.
When was the last time you looked up at the sky and actually saw more than a few stars? That’s because with all the light pollution out there these days, it’s hard to see much of anything in the sky besides the moon — or the lights of a passing plane if you’re lucky. Take advantage of the Earth Hour opportunity, and head outside for some good old-fashioned stargazing. Unless of course, you’re fortunate enough to live in Salt Lick, Ky. — then you might see stars any ol’ night of the year.
Don’t forget to check out this video promo for Earth Hour 2010, featuring landmarks across the world that went dark for 2009’s Earth Hour, including the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Empire State Building in New York City — definitely inspiring to watch. And remember, no matter how you decide to spend Earth Hour, know that you’re one of billions of people joining together to take a stand on the future of our planet, and that, my friends, is more than enough.
How many people lived in places like Venezuala where the power might have been out but not on purpose?
Chanie, my question is are your lights ever on.
I go out in the backyard with Ol’ Doc Brown and fire up the flux capacitor in the DeLorian. Burns up about 1.21 jigawatts of juice.
Well played.
“I like to idle the old two-stroke dirt bike for an hour and create huge clouds of blue smoke illuminated by lights from a diesel-fueled generator.”
Marry me, Steve! LOL!
“As usual, I will throw on the front flood lights and clean guns on the tailgate...”
Perfect! :)
That’s the spirit! :)
Bump!
Well, Channie, if you don’t know what to do with the lights are off, there is nothing I can say to educate you. But at least the next generation won’t have your moronic genes.
I have several ideas! One involves a large container of chocolate syrup some redi whip and a jar of cherries...I’m afraid the others start to border on the.....exotic.
A sick mind is a terrible thing to waste. :-)
As usual, I will throw on the front flood lights and clean guns on the tailgate.....
Good one.
If you forget, just look up “Lenin’s Birthday”.
Same day.
There’s 365 days they could have picked from.
Just happened to land on that one.
Here is a dirty little secret about Earth Day the earth worshipers don’t want to talk about.
http://www.magic-city-news.com/Editor_s_Desk_34/Ira_Einhorn_Earth_Day_s_Dirty_Secret_57095709.shtml
Turn on all your lights.....
Candles produce CO2 and other pollutants in the air. Better axe the candles.
How often is Saturday night just movie night?
Never. Next question.
Look at old picture albums.
Printing pictures uses natural resources in paper and ink production and both are very polluting. Next.
And the best part of it is, it’ll be dark enough that nobody will see you cheating.
Nice. Save the planet and contribute to the moral breakdown of culture and society. Great trade off.
When was the last time you looked up at the sky and actually saw more than a few stars?
Last night. Fail. Try again.
Now that gives me an idea. The self cleaning oven needs cleaning.
I could run that feature and then open all the windows to vent the house, and since it’s so cold out, will have to turn the heat up to compensate.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eScDfYzMEEw
I made sure that all the lights were turned on, Dishwasher, clothes washer, and dryer was running during the entire hour. This is just another one of the BS instances that those who wish to control your life use to make you feel guilty. More left wing crap.
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