Earthy hours

8.30 pm - 9.30 pm : Earth Hour / The hour I spent sleeping

Yes, I spent earth hour sleeping. While the rest of the earth either;

a) Were making a hallabaloo over it offing lights but wasting more electricity by having a concert.
b) Were in confusion as to just off the lights or all electrical items
or
c) Were totally unaware of what was going on when they saw their neighbour in the dark with candles, "Got new cult ah..."

But seriously on my side of town, no one gave a damn according to my mom. I for one slept through it making me a very good participant since I was too tired to even turn on the fan, I slept in the absence of electricity.

So for the past week surfing about the Internet a whole bunch of people are making comments on whether or not Earth Hour (EH) is basically just a sham which defeats its cause on a whole by being over advertised (wasting paper), having a concert (waste electricity) and so on and so forth.

But the thing is we can't deny that the earth is falling apart while we are still on it, a fact that many don't grasp. To put it into context, imagine you are on a piece of ice on the lake in the middle of nowhere and you start stabbing the ice with a fork. Sure the ice is thick, but slowly it cracks then you move to the other spot...Slowly you will be on a single steak of ice stranded. Now imagine 2 billion people on it with you.

Worried yet?

I mean sure they are trying to find out if it is possible to live on Mars, but seriously you don't want to live on earth, but Mars?

I agree with a large point that many are making in that EH is not going to help much if it is all just one out of 8760 hours in a year. The solution is very much in the way we live.

I'm not saying go out and find yourself a contractor and in these times of economic difficulty build an eco-home, but it's the little things.

1. The next time your appliance breaks down, go for a green appliance. Sure it's 50 bucks more than the non but in the long run your electricity bill goes down too.
2. The next time you bust a light bulb go for a green light bulb; come on it's 50 cents.
3. Turn off the water in between brushing your teeth and washing your face; alternatively use a cup. Also during your shower.
   
4. Don't try to multitask by having the TV on, your laptop on and talking on the phone all at the same time. Even without the phone, you only have a pair of eyes.
   
5. Turn off the lights and fans once you leave a room. Even if it is to get something from the kitchen, 5 minutes makes a difference.
6. Don't turn on the air conditioner and cover yourself up to the head in a duvet. Does it even make sense? Okay it's hot we are on the equator, turn on the air cond, cool the room down with the door closed, brush your teeth come back turn it off and on the fan. Sleep.
7. Pay attention to boiled water. Now with the electric kettle you go to the kitchen you turn it on go to the living room watch TV, 20 minutes later you remember you were boiling water for tea, you go back to the kitchen the water's lukewarm, you boil it again. There you just wasted electricity. It takes a whole 2 1/2 minutes to boil 500ml of water with an electric kettle. Would it kill you to prepare the teabag and sugar.
8. Don't open the fridge unnessesarily, you open it think, nah... 2 minutes later you open it again. Don't open it, saves not only the earth but calories too.
9. Say no to plastic bags. Come on that bottle of water needs a plastic bag? That mascara stick?
   

I mean this list it's what I do too. And I realised that it does in fact happen for me. I'm a afraid of the cold, why do I turn on the air conditioning? It is do-able.

Challenge yourself, save the earth.