I just had the following email from my children’s school and it sounds like a fine idea to me:
Earth Hour is this Saturday March 28 from 8:30-9:30pm. People all over the world are asked to turn off their lights for one hour as a way of “voting” for Earth and against Global Warming.
For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, races and backgrounds have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. The world is being urged to VOTE EARTH.
Egypt has joined Earth Hour’s global call for action on climate change. The lights will go out on the Sphinx and Great Pyramids of Giza , the Cairo Tower, and Bibliotheca in Alexandria for Earth Hour from 8:30-9:30pm on Saturday March 28.
We want to reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009. This meeting will determine official government policies to take action against global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol. It is a chance for the people of the world to make their voice heard.
Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco , Rome ’s Coliseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.
In 2009, Earth Hour is being taken to the next level, with the goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote. Unlike any election in history, it is not about what country you’re from, but instead, what planet you’re from. 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. Over 83 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday.
YOUR LIGHT SWITCH IS YOUR VOTEPlease VOTE FOR EARTH by simply switching off your lights for one hour, and join the world for Earth Hour.
Wherever you are in the world, please turn off your lights on Saturday, March 28, from 8:30 to 9:30pm your time.
For more information go to www.earthhour.org
I’m going to do it, what about you?
Both my Post Office web site and the Duluth News Tribune had articles talking about and promoting this today. I think it is catching on.
by Sandy Updyke March 26th, 2009 at 11:01 am