Cards by candlelight… Earth Hour
How would you spend an hour with no electricity? This Saturday (28 March 2015), we are encouraging you to celebrate Earth Hour. This is how Lauren, one of our media volunteers spent Earth Hour in 2014.
On Saturday 29th March, 8.30-9.30pm, hundreds of millions of people around the world switched off their lights and electrical devices to celebrate Earth Hour 2014. Some held candlelit dinner parties, others dug out old board games, and some took the chance to do some stargazing. For me, Earth Hour was the perfect opportunity to drink beer and play cards by candlelight.
At 8.30pm, my boyfriend and I switched off the lights, lit a few candles and settled down to a game of Rummy. It was a great – we didn’t miss the TV at all! Although our competitive streaks did get the best of us and we ended up playing well into the night (eventually having to switch the lights back on as the candles had worn down!).
Earth Hour, led by the WWF, is a worldwide movement that encourages people to show their commitment to the planet by turning off their non-essential lights for one hour, on the last Saturday in March. This year, a record 162 countries and more than 7,000 cities and towns worldwide took part. I was joined by over 20,000 people and 1,000 businesses in the UK (including our very own Edinburgh Castle).
Although I accept that me switching off my lights and electronic devices for an hour once a year isn’t going to make much difference in the grand scheme of things, switching off for Earth Hour is a symbolic action. Many people believe that there is no point in them trying to live more sustainably, as one person’s actions, in a world of over 7 billion people, won’t make any difference. But the reality is that the choices we all make in our everyday lives have the potential to make a real difference in saving energy and reducing emissions levels. Earth Hour isn’t primarily an energy or carbon reduction exercise, it’s aim is to encourage people to think about what they can do, and what simple changes they can make, to live more sustainably to protect the future of the planet.
For me, spending Earth Hour playing cards by candlelight was a refreshing change to watching the same old rubbish on TV. It showed me just how easy (and fun!) it is to live a more sustainable life, and I think candlelit games night will become a regular occurrence in our house! And this is what Earth Hour is all about – inspiring people to change their behaviour ‘beyond the hour’. Simple changes like this really can make a difference – and I think I’ll notice the difference in my electricity bills too (just have to make sure I save the money, instead of spending it on drinks and snacks for games night!).
Earth Hour is here to show us that every person can do his or her part, no matter how big or small, to help save our planet. The numerous photos of people taking part in Earth Hour across the world also serve as a reminder of the need for us work together to really make a change.
For more info i=on what you can do visist the Earth Hour website https://www.earthhour.org
Fife Council has signed up to Earth Hour 2015 and plans to turn off the lights in key buildings in the largest towns in Fife for 1 hour.
These buildings are:
Bankhead Central, Glenrothes
Fife House, Glenrothes
Town House, Kirkcaldy
City Chambers, Dunfermline
County Buildings, Cupar
Please join in, tackle climate change, reduce carbon emissions, save energy, and your money.