It's Almost Time!

What will you be doing between 8:30 - 9:30 pm tonight? Well get your candles ready because we're turning off the lights for Earth Hour!

In case you're not familiar with Earth Hour, this is the mission straight from the official US website for Earth Hour:

On Earth Hour hundreds of millions of people, organizations, corporations and governments around the world will come together to make a bold statement about their concern for climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. In the U.S. where we are already feeling the impacts of climate change, Earth Hour sends a clear message that Americans care about this issue and want to turn the lights out on dirty air, dangerous dependency on foreign oil and costly climate change impacts, and make the switch to cleaner air, a strong economic future and a more secure nation.

It's all about getting people to do just one simple thing - turn off their lights - to raise awareness about global climate change. And just so you don't think that the power of the people on planet Earth can spark changes just by turning off their lights, consider the history of Earth Hour.

Earth Hour 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.

Fast forward to 2008 when 371 cities and towns in more than 35 countries participated in the event. A highly conservative estimate concludes that 50 million people participate. This number could have been as high as 100 million people.

And then in 2009 hundreds of millions of people in more than 4,000 cities and towns across 88 countries switched off their lights for one hour, creating a visual mandate for action on climate change effectively kick-starting the world’s first global vote.

2010 promises to bring even more people together then ever before for this lights out event. In this, only the 4th Earth Hour, millions of people have joined the movement and made a difference.

Here in the great state of Illinois (Land of Lincoln, home to Blago), we are participating in Earth Hour for the third consecutive year according to myearthhour.org. Chicago's skyline will once again be in the spotlight. Icons such as the Chicago Theatre, Navy Pier, Willis Tower (Sears Tower to us Chicagoans), Merchandise Mart, the Wrigley Building and Trump International Hotel and Towers will be among the more than 200 downtown buildings turning out their exterior lights.

“ComEd is committed to environmental stewardship, and we are proud to once again partner with World Wildlife Fund to bring Earth Hour to Illinois,” said Anne Pramaggiore, president and chief operating officer of ComEd. “We hope Earth Hour will help our customers and people around the world learn more about the need for energy conservation as a cost-effective way to slow climate change and benefit our environment.”

In addition to Chicago, dozens of communities across the state have pledged to go dark for Earth Hour, including: Algonquin, Bolingbrook, Carol Stream, Deerfield, DeKalb, Evanston, Hoffman Estates, Homer Glen, Lombard, Mount Prospect, Naperville, Oak Lawn, Oak Park, Olympia Fields, Orland Park, Rolling Meadows, Roselle, Schaumburg and South Elgin.

“By participating in the symbolic event of Earth Hour, we show that, together, we can collectively make a difference to protect and preserve the environment,” said Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.

The State of Illinois is participating in Earth Hour by dimming the lights on the State Capitol Dome and the Governor’s Mansion in Springfield, as well as at State-owned buildings across Chicago, including the Thompson Center and Bilandic Building.

“By turning out our lights for an hour on March 27, the people of Illinois will show our commitment to fighting light pollution,” said Governor Quinn. “Earth Hour highlights the importance of conserving energy and protecting our environment for future generations.”

I'm a little upset that my community, Mundelein, has not pledged to go dark for Earth Hour. Hmmm. I wonder why they haven't joined the rest of communities in showing their support and commitment to this cause. I'm going to have Mom look into this for me. I'm going to do all I can to ensure that our community pledges to go dark next year.

By going dark for just one hour, people around the globe will have saved tons of energy. They will have also raised awareness and if nothing else then it's made a difference. Dare the naysayers to make such statements like an hour of darkness doesn't mean a thing and won't change a thing. Nonsense! And dare the geeks of the world that say burning candles produces significantly more CO2 and other pollutants per lumen than incandescent bulbs. While this is true, this moment, this hour is about uniting people together for a common cause. Global climate change is real people. And it ain't going away until we make changes and quick.

I found this short video history of Earth Hour very inspirational. If you hadn't already decide to participate in Earth Hour tonight, I hope it will persuade you to. I'll be in dark from 8:30 - 9:30 pm, thinking about what I can do to save planet Earth. Won't you join me?