The Do's and Don'ts of Earth Hour

Earth Hour is quickly approaching, and we thought we'd provide a bit of a primer on how to celebrate. Remember, Earth Hour runs from 8-9 pm on Saturday, March 29 and is designed to raise awareness around the very real threat of climate change. So, here is GangisGreen's list of Do's and Don'ts to Celebrate Earth Hour

Do:

• Celebrate by shutting off your lights and unplugging 'sleeping' appliances like TVs and computers from 8-9. It's okay to leave your main fridge plugged in, but perhaps tomorrow's the day to unplug the inefficient 'beer' fridge and leave it that way.
• Remind your friends of this event and encourage them to celebrate.
• Plan fun activities for the whole family that don't include the draw of electricity (eg. candlelight scrabble, strip poker, whatever).
• Eat and drink local. Seems pretty bizarre to toast Earth Hour with some fine Australian Shiraz or Russian Vodka...how far did that have to travel to get to your table?
• Get outside.  Evidently the sky will be very clear tomorrow; take advantage of the lack of city lights for 1 hour, and do some urban star gazing.
• If you haven't done so already, use this as your first foray into living greener. View this as a step on a path to more sustainable living, not just an isolated event.

Don't:

• Use this time to gap the spark plugs on your Hummer.
• Light up grandma's funeral pyre. Did you know that the ancient ritual of funeral pyres, still practiced today in many eastern countries, generates over 7 million tonnes of CO2 annually?
• Fly anywhere during Earth Hour.
• Idle your car at the Tim Horton's drive thru.
• Spark up your air conditioner.
• Celebrate by cranking the hot tub up to 32 C.
• Deep fry a turkey or barbecue a big fat steak.

You catch the drift. Be thoughtful, from front to back, about what you're doing to celebrate this event. And extend that consideration further, as you start to turn the lights back on, and go back to living your life. Because, let's face it, every hour should be Earth Hour, every day, Earth Day. Enjoy.