Saturday, March 29, 2008

Earth Hour around the Bay of Fundy

There's been much news coverage in recent weeks about Earth Hour. This initiative originated in Australia last year, and, thanks to reach of the web, blossomed into a worldwide event. Starting at 8pm local time tonight, folks in cities, towns & countries all around the world will turn off their lights & otherwise lower their energy consumption for one hour to acknowledge their awareness of climate change and their commitment to energy conservation. I think it's a great initiative; anything that makes us think more about our personal responsibility to reduce energy consumption is a good thing.

Tonight, between 8 & 9 pm, I'll be walking down to my local Bay of Fundy harbour to see the high tide. I often walk to the beach at dusk but tonight (and from now on) I'll make a point to unplug all appliances, turn off all lights, and even switch off my computer before going. I've heard from many friends and colleagues around the Bay that they'll be doing something similar. For example, the Fundy city of Moncton's skyline (see photo) will darken for Earth Day. Perhaps next year I can engage my enthusiastic blog readers in the region to help initiate a more formal Bay-wide Earth Day challenge!

If you'd like to tell the rest of the world that you're participating in Earth Hour, visit the Earth Hour website.

No comments: