Earth Hour 2010

Tonight is Earth Hour and here in the Jordan house, this event is met with giggles and anticipation.  Last year we armed each of the boys with a wind-up flashlight and let them loose.  Whirr whirr whirr went the flashlights.  Run run run went the boys.  They loved it.  The smaller guys are too little to understand why we were sitting in the dark, but my 10 year old got it.  They are all looking forward to tonight at 8:30 when we turn the lights off again.  We've been talking about nocturnal vs. diurnal animals lately and we hoped to sit outside and watch for flying squirrels and listen for owls, but it looks like some cold rain will keep us in tonight.  Wind up the flashlights, boys, it's flashlight tag time!  Whirr whirr whirr...

What is Earth Hour?  Why do it?  According to the Earth Hour website, the event started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million homes and businesses turned their lights off for one hour to make their stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries participating.

It's a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community throughout the world. It is a call to stand up, to take responsibility, to get involved and lead the way towards a sustainable future. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Europe to Asia to the Americas will stand in darkness. People across the world from all walks of life will turn off their lights and join together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common – our planet.

Won't you join in?

Tonight.  8:30pm local time.