DO YOU 'EARTH HOUR'?

Earth Hour 2009 is approaching quickly, this Saturday, March 28th, 8:30pm. At that time, wherever you are, you are asked to "unplug." According to the source of all knowledge (;-0), Wikipedia, Earth Hour is

"an annual international event created by the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature/World Wildlife Fund), held on the last Saturday of March, that asks households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights and electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change. It was pioneered by WWF Australia and the Sydney Morning Herald in 2007,^[1] and achieved worldwide participation in 2008."

Now last year being the first year that Earth Year went "global," I am rather unaware of the U.S.'s response as I was actually in Canada at the time, but I can tell you that Ontario's preparation and response was fairly remarkable. The media, the "buzz," and the resulting response (the city of Toronto reported a 8.7% reduction in electricity consumption during the hour - quite considerable for prime time Saturday night in a city of over 2.5 million).

Toronto Skyline 2008 ~ top: during "Earth Hour"; bottom: before "Earth Hour"

No, the city did not "go black." Not every single business and household turned out every single light and unplugged every appliance...restaurants kept cooking, but used candles during the hour for lighting. We wandered into a wonderful pub for dinner during the hour, and I'll admit, it was quite dark and reading the menu was a bit of a struggle by candlelight, but we knew we were a part of something bigger, a part of a global experience and statement of awareness. No, we weren't changing the world overnight, but it is these small steps, each of us can take.

So, what about Earth Hour 2009? Where will you be? Have you thought about what steps you might take for this hour, to continue or begin the journey of awareness? Think about it...

Here's a great article about one reporter's "relationship with electricity" that makes us consider our own:

http://www.thestar.com/living/article/608082

Where It All Began!

Spring break was this week...and it was time for a road trip ~ sandy beaches, Florida sunshine, you say? Oh, no, not us! We headed north for an awesome time in the great city of Toronto (thanks so much, Anne & Mike!! :-)) It really was a terrific trip ~ and I had a chance to visit the great bead shop "where it all started" ~ "The Sassy Bead Co.". Yep, this is where I made my very first pair of earrings just over 2 1/2 years ago, and I'm still convinced "Sassy" has some of the best beads around ~ so you know I didn't come home empty handed!

Hannah was really impressed with how "green-minded" Toronto was ~ emphasis on recycling everything, heavy participation and publicity for the Earth Hour Lights Out event (our first night there)....we ate by candlelight that first night in a great pub for the "Lights Out" event and the city newspaper was still publishing articles concerning the impact for several days following the event.


The CN Tower, of course, rises above the skyline as you enter the city, and we had a beautiful, sunny early spring day to visit it while we were there ~ so clear for a wonderful view all around!

Our last evening in the city we saw a great show ~ Dirty Dancing, the Musical. It was wonderful! If you know Hannah, be sure to ask her what she thought of the lead who played Johnny Castle! :-) It was the perfect end to an awesome "alternative" spring break. We also highly recommend the shops on Bloor, Yonge, and Queen St. West and the terrific dining experiences ~ Hannah now loves Thai and Greek food, thanks to this trip! She is also trying to figure out how to make University of Toronto a viable post-high school option - go figure!