Affiliated with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Earth Hour 2008 will be held at 8 pm on the 29 of March, 2008. People and groups around the world, including cities and companies and schools, will turn their lights out for one hour. This is a global version of an event started in Sydney, Australia, last year. Earth Hour attempts to engage people, companies, organizations, schools and cities in the conservation process, to make people more aware of the environment, and to show how individual acts, multiplied by millions of people, can have a significant, positive influence on energy use and savings.
- If you believe in global warming, you might see this as a chance to help reduce human contributions to climate change.
- If you don’t believe in global warming, you might view this as a much-needed exercise in energy conservation.
I recently became aware of this event via two friends on gather.com, Morgan and flit (thanks!). See also this article by Kate Keeley for more information, and a personal perspective that starts out with the intriguing sentence:
Someone asked me while I was traveling in Antarctica, “So…are you having the greatest time ever?”
The following is taken from earthhour.org:
Earth Hour 2007 was a Sydney event. Earth Hour 2008 is a global movement.
Created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced, Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming.
This simple act has captured the hearts and minds of people all over the world. As a result, at 8pm on the 29 March, 2008 millions of people in some of the world’s major capital cities, including Copenhagen, Toronto, Chicago, Melbourne, Brisbane and Tel Aviv will unite and switch off for Earth Hour.
There is much more information at the primary site, earthhour.org. You can help organize participation by your whole community, participate on your own, etc. Take a look, you might want to register and participate. I did.
For more on the WWF, see the following links from the US website (or look here for their global site, which links to WWF organizations in many countries):
DISCOVER
EXPLORE
WildWorld 
Camera Traps
DONATE
© James K. Bashkin, 2008
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Chemistry for a sustainable world 
February 10, 2008 at 10:13 pm
I’m tired of how many of us don’t give a darn about how our population numbers are overpopulating our earth, and having impact on climate change. Read my recent post on http://peoplepowergranny.blogspot.com/ and tell me what size you think families should be today.
February 10, 2008 at 11:21 pm
Peoplepowergranny: Thanks for reading and offering your commentary.
I have started to read your blog, from which I quote, “Whenever we use technology, we build more products, we use more of earth’s resources.” This is simply and dramatically untrue.
If you would read any one of many sources, including my own posts on green chemistry here and on my other blog (http://nearlynothingbutnovels.blogspot.com), you would learn of many examples where new technology is protecting the environment. Take the example of the new solar cells that are so effective: this is new technology and it is going to help the environment! So, while your point about population is an excellent one, I think you are very far off base on these other matters (it is just my opinion). Therefore, it makes perfect sense to me to be as efficient and sustainable as possible when it comes to natural resources, and, while this isn’t coupled to dealing with population problems, neither is it incompatible with concerns about overpopulation.
Thanks again for taking the time to read and comment, and for sharing your blog. Best wishes, Jim (parent of two children)
March 29, 2008 at 8:10 pm
It is 7:00 pm in California. My family will turn off the computer and lights at 8:00 pm.
March 29, 2008 at 8:15 pm
We just came back on line in St. Louis after 9 pm. We played acoustic music in the dark for Earth Hour.
March 29, 2008 at 10:11 pm
I walked on the streets with my friends during that hour. Most homes around our community have no lights. I believe that many of them got the message.