Four (or Five!) Reasons Why

…Earth Hour Is Legit And Significant

1. While Earth Hour may have only lasted 60 minutes, it was a rare moment where people united in a common cause with little controversy attached. Conservation, even at its noblest, is a private matter as it’s not the type of thing one would tend to talk or brag about. The event allowed for the recognition that a community, large or small, can pull together to effect change in a productive way.

2. Earth Hour was a global event that united and aligned communities around the world. It also saw cooperation between corporations and individuals. It may be sad to say, but both of these things occur far too infrequently.

3. Regardless of your views on climate change or motivation to participate, Earth Hour resulted in a tangible decline in energy consumption around the world. Sydney saw a reduction of 8.4% over the hour when compared to a typical Saturday night, while on the other side of the planet, Toronto’s consumption fell 8.7%. Unlike the Live Earth concerts whose environmental mission was paradoxical to its actual impact, Earth Hour was a wholly beneficial event.

4. An hour of participation, accomplished by simply flicking a few light switches, educates us all that something can be done. In the grand scheme of things, the event’s mission is easy to comprehend, easy to explain, easy to get others to participate and easy to accomplish. (What argument could you possibly have against it?) But the effect and results are significant. Hopefully, it also teaches (reminds) us to turn out the lights after you leave room or turn off the air conditioning when nobody is home or switch off your computer before you go to bed.

5. Earth Hour may have only lasted a short period of time, but maybe, just maybe it signified a small step towards sustainable living. As Neil Armstrong once said, “That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.” (Do you think anyone imagined putting a man on the moon back then?)

Check out the before and after pictures in Toronto, Chicago and Sydney.

Did you learn anything from Earth Hour?

For more on Earth Hour

More: While most people rejoiced in Earth Hour, the National Post’s Peter Foster described it as a “profoundly depressing experience” and an example of “eco-hysteria”. Foster, by the way, doesn’t really believe in the concept of global warming either….or probably Santa Claus.