The second official Earth Hour could be observed on Saturday, March 27, 2010, at 8:30 P.m. local time for a lot of. The official website for Earth Hour suggest that as people turn off their lights during a scheduled time, a blackout “will once again cascade around the globe, from New Zealand to Hawaii.” The Los Angeles Times calls Earth Hour “the world’s largest global climate change initiative.” Earth Hour, says the Times, is a “global call to action . . . a call to stand up and take responsibility.”
Earth Hour is easy
In the most basic sense, Earth hour’s call to action is the least we can do. Taking part in Earth Hour doesn’t mean we have to actually take responsibility for the environment by changing any part of the way we live or use. All that is needed is for us to turn off the lights for an hour.
Shop, donate, borrow cash
It costs nothing to participate in Earth Hour; however, those who hope that buying a lot more merchandise will help stop climate change can look for Earth Hour Gear on the official web site. Additionally, if you believe it will make the environment better, you might donate money directly to Earth Hour online also. At the time of this writing, Earth Hour Gear was not yet available, but donations can be made now, so it’s not too early to fill out a personal loan application if you need a loan to do your part for Earth Hour.
Climate change in a nutshell
According to the Earth Hour web site, the effects of climate change are being felt throughout the United States. Alaska has warmed two times as fast as the rest of the United States. Spring snowmelt is earlier, sea ice is reduced, glaciers are retreating and permafrost is thawing. In the Northwest, Water supplies are being strained while erosion is escalating because winters are wetter when summers are dryer. In the Southwest, water supplies are becoming increasingly scarce and droughts are a significant concern.
In the Midwest, downpours are twice as frequent as they were a hundred years ago when lake ice is being reduced. The Northeast has less snow and a lot more rain. The Southeast has a lot more hurricanes, increased air temperatures, higher winds, greater rainfall, and a lot more storm surges. On the islands and coastlines, where there are additional sensitive areas to climate change, wetlands are drowning, the man-made environment is threatened, shorelines are eroding, and sea levels are rising.
Taking a stance doesn’t have to be hard
It is always good to take a stance on the environment, but it is going to take a lot additional than an hour long ritual of turning off your lights for making a change. Taking a stance also doesn’t mean living in a teepee with no running water or electricity.
You might try eating foods that use less fossil energy to create, purchase fewer wasteful goods, or even make an effort to ride a bike every so often rather than driving.There’s nothing to cease people from switching off the lights for Earth Hour while making real changes, too; except, of course, that change is hard and flipping a switch is easy.
