For the 5th year, people across the globe will switch off in an effort to build awareness of the sustainability issues we are currently faced with. My kids and I joined hundreds of millions of people 2 years ago for our first Earth Hour experience. When I mentioned to them that tonight was the night of this annual, global event, they relished the idea of it (well, The Girl did anyway).
I try to make Saturday nights our special family night. For the most part this works out well, though there are times when we all get caught up in whatever we are doing. We don’t have cable television, so our home-entertainment generally includes reading (me), video/computer games (both The Boy and The Girl) and a lot of movies (all).
Most every Saturday night I make a super yummy (IMO) vegetarian dish, turn on some music, light the candles and we sit at the dinner table as a family and spend this one night together. Since I have shared-custody, this time is quite precious to me. After the plates have been licked clean and the kitchen is tidied a bit, I will serve up desert and we either watch movies or play games.
Celebrating Earth Hour won’t be too difficult for our household. I am a minimalist and have very little electronic devices sucking up unnecessary energy. In my kitchen, there is just the fridge, stove, and dishwasher — which serves only as a drying rack for the dishes I hand wash. In the living room, the television (c. 1990s), DVD player, Wii console, and reading lamp are all plugged into a surge protector that can easily be switched off with one flip. Then there is my laptop (which is shut down and unplugged when not in use anyway), the family desktop PC, and a hairdryer. This is it for electronics!
For us, tonight will be like most any other Saturday night — only a wee darker. Lights out!
Tags: climate change, conservation, Earth Hour, Family, minimalism, sustainability
