Earth Hour

Last night, for one hour, it was Earth Hour. This is a time when on the last Saturday of March from 8:30 to 9:30 people are encouraged to turn off their lights and non-essential appliances. The event began in Australia in 2007 and 2.2 million people participated. Since then the event has grown and gone global. This year about 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries participated. Earth Hour is intended to draw attention to climate change and energy conservation. Seems simple enough, but, naturally, this kind of event is bound to draw a lot of negative reactions. However, I was somewhat surprised to see how passionately negative and angry these reactions were. Many people responded by saying that during Earth Hour they were going to turn ON all of their lights and all of their TVs and appliances. They were going to burn tires in their front yard and drive around the neighborhood in their SUVs. Other people said that it was just the government's way of brainwashing us to believe some kind of hoax. And others said that it is a pointless, useless, and empty gesture that won't solve anything.

I think that it would help to point out that Earth Hour is a largely SYMBOLIC gesture. I think everyone knows that turning off your lights for one hour on one day in the year isn't going to solve the climate crisis. But, like I said, the event is symbolic and it simply calls attention to the situation. It is like wearing red on World AIDS Day. Wearing the color red in and of itself will not solve the AIDS crisis, but it draws attention to the crisis. It is a simple way of making a statement.

Yet, as simple and symbolic as the event was, it was still surprising to see the reactions. But then again, climate change and the environment are just like religion and politics. People are passionate about it and it is polarizing. For the most part I'm a quiet eco-geek. I never preach (except I sort of do in this blog...), but I live by example. However, I have friends who stand at complete opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to opinions about the environment. I have some friends who say that I'm a fool for believing any of "this garbage" because global warming/climate change is really a hoax. Then, on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, I have friends who tell me that I have no right to call myself an environmentalist because I eat meat and wear leather. Unfortunately these are the same friends who tell me that I have a lot of blood on my hands and that I probably deserve to die from heart disease or cancer because I eat meat. Gee, thanks! Fortunately those friends are few among many good ones! Anyway, when you are dealing with people, on either end, who are both extreme and self-righteous, you really don't get anywhere with an argument. I just let them talk and talk until they run out of air. I stay true to my beliefs and do what is right for me and do what I think is right for the rest of the world. That is simply how I live my life in general.

So did I participate in Earth Hour? Yes. What did I do? I drank some wine, lit a lot of candles, and read by candlelight. It was wonderful!

Current mood: rested
Current music: iTunes on shuffle--David Gray "Babylon"
Current drink: it is a little too early for cognac, but that will be my current drink in 30 minutes!