Turn off the lights?

I'm debating if I want to bother with Earth Hour this year. Well, more like questioning why la. I mean think about it; if you take part in it, why do you do it?

It kinda feels like it's a hyped up thing now. Everyone's doing it, it's cool to be part of the crowd la di da. But do YOU know why we're being asked to turn off the lights?

I remember seeing ads for Earth Hour telling us how much carbon emissions we're saving if we turn off the lights for an hour. But a coursemate of mine pointed out that the power companies will take longer than an hour to adjust to our demand.

And all that electricity generated will go to waste during that one hour.

So maybe we're doing it to send a signal to the governments of the world that we want to make a stand. Except, look what happened at the much hyped-about Climate Change Convention at Copenhagen last year. From what I understand about it, they concluded that they will make firm decisions this year instead.

And considering that my housemates aren't ra-ra let's go green despite my wish to take part in Earth Hour the past few years, I highly doubt it's making an impact on people who don't really care.

But that doesn't mean I'm advocating the "Human Achievement Hour's" suggestion of turning on your lights in defiance of Earth Hour. I think it's quite silly that their attempt to create awareness of their event is to compare Earth Hour to North Korea's darkness at night.

I think Earth Hour's message is about US TAKING ACTION, and not waiting for someone else to do it. It's about getting up from your seat to walk over to the light switch and turning it off. But it's so much more than just that one hour. I believe the quote of how much carbon you save by turning off the light is meant to empower you into taking direct action. Just knowing how much you can save by turning off your lights for an hour should encourage you not to leave the lights on if you're not using them.

Whether you turn your lights off or on during Earth Hour doesn't really matter unless you continue on to make lifestyle changes in your daily lives. Which is something I'm trying to remember :)