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.
“I’ll turn on every light, run the washer/dryer, airconditioner, furnace and turn on the car and the 1970 Mercedes Benz 300SEL 6.3 (with no emission controls). Oh yea, and every tv in the house.”
That is a good start. Make sure to keep the fireplace going so the air conditioner has to operate at max power to keep things cool!
Also, if you have the time and really want to make an impact, string all your Christmas lights early. Not only will you be able to better light up the neighborhood during your earth hour celebration, but you’ll be showing your festive spirit AND getting a jump on the holidays thus potentially spurring early spending on gifts which acts as your own stimulus program!
Nothing's changed. I see dim bulbs every time I turn on NBC.
On the East Coast, we had our power out for days. Do we get a credit from the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF)?
what the heck am I supposed to do in the dark for a whole hour?
The list is endless!
Every freaking light in the house on.
All shades open
All flood lights on
Halogen work lights on extension chord in yard pointed outward
Corvette and Pic-up idling in the drive with the hoods open
and high beams on for no reason
Styrofoam bonfire
My meter will be spinnin’ off the wall!
What time does it start? I need to make sure al of my 75 watt bulbs
are in good working order,... They’re gonna get some heavy usage!
Great! IM turning on every light in and out this house!
You can baaaah like the sheep you are.
Rent a bunch of Klieg lights and run ‘em all for 24 hours.
An explosion of abortions more likely. Remember who these people are.
If it’s too warm to run the heaters, turn on the AC and cool down the house first....:)
Not only will I turn everything on, in honor of “mother Earth”, I’m gonna BBQ me a pig in honor of PETA and Muslims everywhere!
Point your lights skyward,last year they said they would be taking satellite pictures.
“We turn on EVERY SINGLE LIGHT in the house!”
...plus the air conditioning and all electrical appliances...
It is not about Earth, it is about sticking a finger in the face of the wienies who devised this $hit.
I am going to start grass fires again.
LOL! Yeah, last year I turned every light in the house on, and turned on the Jeep's headlights (the one with the "My Jeep is using the gas your Prius saves" bumper sticker..
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