Saving the earth, one hour at a time

Maybe it's the memory of my mother hollering at the top of her lungs, "Turn off the light in the bathroom if you're done in there!!!", but I am really good at turning off electronics when they're not in use.  I even keep most of my electronics on power strips that I can turn on and off when necessary, so there's no "over-charging".  You could say I'm obsessed.

Well, finally there are people more obsessed with saving electricity than me.  Earth Hour is a fantastic initiative begun last year in Sydney.  Designed to demonstrate the amount of electricity that can be saved simply by turning out the lights, Earth Hour asks businesses and households to turn off their lights and electronics for one hour.  As they say on their website:

"It started with a question: How can we inspire people to take action on climate change?

"The answer: Ask the people of Sydney to turn off their lights for one hour.

"On 31 March 2007, 2.2 million people and 2100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights for one hour - Earth Hour. If the greenhouse reduction achieved in the Sydney CBD during Earth Hour was sustained for a year, it would be equivalent to taking 48,616 cars off the road for a year.

"With Sydney icons like the Harbour Bridge and Opera House turning their lights off, and unique events such as weddings by candlelight, the world took notice. Inspired by the collective effort of millions of Sydneysiders, many major global cities are joining Earth Hour in 2008, turning a symbolic event into a global movement."

Well to all you fellow electricity-saving-obsessives, it's your time to shine....or not.  Earth Hour is happening this Saturday, 3/29 at 8pm EST.  Participating cities are listed on the website, and Brastilo is encouraging you all to participate, even if you're city isn't listed.  We love the idea of Earth Hour, the idea that this small step can both make a point and actually save valuable resources.  Brastilo does what it can to use sustainable resources, and we encourage our customers, you loyal readers, to do the same.  Last year, the Sydney event saved between 2-10% of the cities electricity.  That's an enormous amount.  And imagine how much we can all save if all of the participating cities can save that much.  It's remarkable. 

So get your friends together and throw a candlelight party.  Or just enjoy the time away from the TV, the computer, and the rest of it all, with a loved one.