Earth Hour 2009: lights out on March 28th

Another NGO-sponsored event is World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour 09, coming up this March, 28th. This is an event where, starting at 8:30pm local time, for one hour we turn off the power - your lights, your TV, your iPod. What began as a Sydney, AU-only statement of concern in 2007, became a global event in 2008. It's a symbolic gesture to show worldwide interest and support for curbing our insatiable demand for resources and the toll it is taking on the climate and the environment as a whole.



Now, there are those who dismiss these symbolic gestures as merely jumping on the bandwagon to feel good about ourselves for a brief moment before firing up the flat screen and revving up our SUVs to pick up more soda in the plastic liter bottles. Well, in terms of concrete proactive measures, they may have a point to some extant.

But generating public awareness is a fundamental step toward solid action, so let's hope that Earth Hour 09 is a bigger success than ever before. And hopefully, after the lights come back on, there will be data to show just what that brief respite meant in terms of emissions saved, resources saved, and more.

To learn more about Earth Hour 09, click here.