You Don't Have to Be Jack Bauer to "Go Dark"

In case you haven't heard, this Saturday March 28th from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. is Earth Hour. Are you all planned and ready vote? This is the first time in History that an election will allow all nationalities and people of all ages to cast their vote by flipping off a light switch. When you switch your lights off you are casting a vote for Earth but if you leave them on, it's a vote for Global Warming

Earth Hour started 3 years ago in Sydney, Australia. What started as act of awareness on Global Warming has blossomed into a worldwide sustainability event. In 2007, 2.2 millions homes and businesses participated in Earth Hour. Last year, 50 million people flipped the switch and this year the WWF would like to see 1 billion votes cast. As they put it, 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.'

The act of switching off for Earth Hour is not meant to be an energy saving initiative, in fact some may argue it actually waste energy as the power utility has no place to spend the electricity it made hours before. Earth Hour is meant to create awareness. Edward Norton (actor and activist - spokesperson for Earth Hour) was on Larry King Live and he pointed out that like the protest in the 60's and 70's, the marches themselves were not the solution, but they were symbols that drew awareness. The WWF would like to present 1 billion aware participants to the world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009. This meeting will determine policies governing climate change that will replace the Kyoto accord.

How can you get involved? At 8:30 pm local time, turn off all non-essential lights (make sure you light your candles first!). Unplug all non-essential household items. My mother would always do that when we left the house. I didn't realize that some items still use up to 75% of full power when turned off. By doing this you may realize you don't need to plug some of these things back in at 9:30. Tip: put all electronics that you charge every night on one power cord with an on/off switch.

You can organize a candle light dinner at home or at some participating restaurants. Go for a walk with friends. Turn your phone off too (its only an hour!), it leaves room for live, uninterrupted conversation. And while your outside, take a look up at the sky and if enough lights are off, you just might see some stars remember those?

Many national symbols will be in the dark this year too, the Empire State Building, the Great Pyramids of Giza, and the Acropolis in Athens just to name a few. Over 2,400 cities in 82 countries are involved this year. Can we count your vote? I hope you'll take the time to show your support this Saturday and everyday after.

By Emmanuel Belliveau

Emmanuel Belliveau, Generation Green
		About the author:
		Emmanuel Belliveau's knack for transforming dated objects into modern classics landed the designer a successful television career. During his 4 years on My Parents House on HGTV, he was known as the handy and handsome designer - often shirtless - who designed and built creative household furnishings from coffee tables to water features for deserving parents. He can hold his own when featuring with world renowned architects on HGTV and Discovery's World's Greenest Homes.
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