The EcoChic

It is now 10pm EST and Earth Hour 2009 is over in our town.  But it’s not really over is it?  We have the responsibility to celebrate Earth Hour ever hour!  We should all be responsible for our actions and for the footprints we leave on this Earth. 

It was about 7:30pm and my 6 yr old told me Earth Hour was fast approaching.  He was making his plan of action.  “If the movie isn’t over then we’ll have to turn it off at 8:29pm,”  he said.  By 8pm our movie was over and he said, “can we start it early?”  So we took some time to make sure the lights were all off in the rest of the house.  Next, we turned the a/c and fans off.  Then we unplugged our electronics.  The only lights that I could see in the house were the stove/microwave clocks which I couldn’t reach the plug from behind the stove.  I wish I knew how much electricity we saved during our hour!

We finally made it to the back porch (it was lighter there) after we lit all of our candles and set up Monopoly.  The baby was sleeping and the three of us played Monopoly.  We laughed, giggled, played, and laughed some more!  It was a very memorable evening.

Before we started our game the hubby and I stepped out front.  As I suspected all our neighbors still had their lights on.  Earth Hour wasn’t mentioned in local media so that didn’t surprise me much.  I was tempted to walk around and explain it to our neighbors and see what their response was…but I decided to enjoy the time with my family instead.  So that brings me to my question, Can one person (or one family) really make a difference?  Of course we can.  Last year I didn’t even know what Earth Hour was until I was seated on my plane coming home reading about it DURING EARTH HOUR!  How ironic I know.  This year I’ve been blogging about it for weeks, my friends and family know all about it, and I even spent an afternoon at the school explaining it to my sons class.  If just one more person celebrated Earth Hour tonight because of my efforts than YES, one person can make a difference. 

I’m actually sad that Earth Hour is over for 2009.  I’m going to try to make our own Earth Hour once a month to remind us how important the Earth is to us…and how important we are to one another. 

I’d love to hear how you spent your hour!

…for Earth Hour 2009!  Be sure to turn the lights out at 8:30pm for one hour for Climate Change! 

And it’s not just the lights.  Here are some other things to remember to do for Earth Hour:

• Unplug anything with a light (tv, vcr, dvd, tivo, etc)
• Unplug the computer cord
• Unplug the cell phone charger
• Turn off the fans

So what can you do during Earth Hour?

• Light some candles
• Play board games
• Spend some quality family time
• Star gaze
• Just enjoy being around one another

What not to do for Earth Hour?  Don’t turn your lights off at home and go out to a restaurant that has the lights on!  This is what my husband actually suggested!  LOL! 

Enjoy your Earth Hour and don’t forget to tell a friend!

Earth Hour 2009 is approaching FAST!  Saturday, March 28th from 8:30pm-9:30pm take a stand to fight climate change by turning off your lights (and all electrical items) for an hour.  Visit www.EarthHour.org or www.EarthHourKids.org to learn more.

What will you be doing during Earth Hour?  I had the pleasure of spending an hour with some wonderful Kindergartner’s yesterday (in the dark) to see how they would spend their time.  I started by reading a great children’s book about global warming.  Winston of Churchill, One Bear’s Battle Against Global Warmingby Jean Davies Okimoto is a funny story about a group of polar bears who know that “we must all do our part, no matter how small.”  Below are some ideas that the kids had on how to spend their hour without electricity. 

• Playing board games with their family.
• Playing with play-doh.
• Sleep.
• Play cards.
• Build a puzzle.
• Light a candle (with adult supervision)
• Go for a walk.
• Look at the stars.

Not too bad for a group of 5-6 year olds!  How are you going to spend your Earth Hour on Saturday?

DON’T FORGET TO ENTER THE ECO STORE USA GIVEAWAY FOR A $25 GIFT CERTIFICATE TO USE AT THEIR ONLINE STORE.  CONTEST ENDS APRIL 1ST.

Can you live without your lights for one hour?  Then join WWF and your local community and make a statement to show your commitment to climate change and finding a solution.  All you need to do is turn out the lights for one hour.

Want to do more?  Visit http://www.earthhourus.org/main.php to learn how you can help organize Earth Hour in your community.

Wow, my comments on my last post were…HARSH!  I decided to leave the comments because they do have some validation to them; they are honest comments!  HOWEVER…if you looked at the time of the post you will see that I was at home when the clock struck 8pm!  Wasn’t that the whole point; to make a statement at one specific time?

As for the environmental impact of flying…yes…it is a huge problem.  However, I don’t really think my work would understand if I said I NEVER wanted to fly again.  Sometimes you don’t really have a choice. 

So for my negative commenters (if they ever choose to read my blog again)…what exactly would you have done if your job required you to fly?  It doesn’t change my opinions and feelings on protecting the environment.  It doesn’t change my opinions on oil.  I really don’t see it as being a hypocrite…would you really like me to look into your life?  I don’t claim to be a perfect environmental steward.  If you read ABOUT ME you will see I’m taking as many steps as I can to be BETTER! 

And please remember, unless they are spam or flaming vulgaritites…I will keep your comments.  I think it’s great to hear both positive and negative comments.  So thank you!

BEFORE YOU SLAM ME FOR BEING ON A PLANE – READ THE NEXT POST!  I APPRECIATE YOUR VIEWS AND WILL KEEP ALL COMMENTS (UNLESS VULGAR) BUT I ASK YOU TO CONSIDER YOUR LIFE BEFORE YOU JUDGE MINE!  Thanks! 

I wanted to thank my friend Purple Pepper for her contribution to the Earth Hour post earlier today.  I was on a plane from Savannah to Atlanta when I read an article reminding me about Earth Hour.  Purple Pepper graciously posted the information for me since I wasn’t around my computer.  However….I also wrote an article while waiting for my return flight back to Tampa…so here it is:

Delta Airlines SKY magazine had a great green issue this month and the cover was about Earth Hour.  I remember when Australia honored Earth Hour last year so I was glad to see this again this year. 

It’s not just about an hour as it is to how much we as individuals impact the environment AND how we as individuals have a personnal responsibility to help reduce our impact.  We can sit around all day and blame the government for the lack of environmental laws but we need to take a step back and remember that we CAN all make a difference without laws.

What are some of our biggest issues we face today?  Is it the war in Iraq?  Is it the rising price of gasonline?  Is it the poor economy we are facing more and more each day?

By being a good environmental steward we can help with all of these issues.  How you might ask??  Think about today and the Earth Hour.  If we all (American’s or elsewhere) turned off our lights for one hour tonight not only will we be reducing our personal energy usage BUT we will also help reduce the amount of oil consumed on this planet.  We often forget where our daily necessities come from.  You don’t consciously think that you are contributing to the rising oil prices when you leave a light on in a room as you go off into another room; only to turn on another light.  And how often do you consider that by turning off that same light you might help us as American’s to bring our men and women home sooner from Iraq.

Why are we over there anyways?  I know there are many other reasons for our military presence in the Middle East but one reason for this (and other past wars) is due to the fight over – OIL!

Why have we become so dependant on this non-renewable resource?  How many of the products that we use on a daily basis are made with oil?  I would challenge you to think of a product that doesn’t directly or indirectly use oil.  Whether in production, transportation or in the use of the product almost everything we use or consume contributes to our dependance on oil.  Have we always been dependant on oil?  When did we as humans first use oil and what did we do before then?  What lessons can we learn from those individuals who didn’t depend on the oil?

So I know I have ventured off into a very controversial area but we often forget how dependant we are on this resource.  And what other technology or resource is available that would reduce this dependance?  What did families do prior to having electricity in the homes?  I bet 1) they had better family values and strong family bonds, 2) they were healthier without all that junk food and televisions, 3) they incorporated exercise into their daily activities, and 4) they took pride in their communities and natural resources.

There is a lot to say for the way things use to be BUT we also have to embrace where we are today.  As we turn off our lights tonight at 8pm (local time) I challenge you to take the time to consider additional ways you can change your life; not only to be a better environmental steward BUT for your FAMILY, your COMMUNITY, your COUNTRY, and your MOTHER – MOTHER EARTH!   

    Last year Sydney, Australia made the news by turning their lights out for one hour to show their concern about global warming. They called it Earth Hour.

Tonight is Earth Hour 2008, an international event that asks households and businesses to turn off their lights and non-essential electrical appliances for one hour at 8PM local time to promote electricity conservation and lower carbon emissions.

Let’s try to make Earth Hour 2008 a huge success – go lights out for just 1 hour tonight.