Originally begun in Sidney, Australia two years ago, Earth Hour was essentially a message bringing awareness to climate change. What it actually accomplished was prctically phenomenal. In March 2007, 2.2 million people and businesses alike turned out the lights for a complete hour in order to bring the message of climate change. It made a statement of how people coming to gether for a single purpose can actually make a change. Moreover, this was only the beginning, the following year Earth Hour went global with more than 400 cities participating in the event, this was a sum of possibly 50 million people and thousands of businesses alike taking part in the message to reduce climate change.
This year, more than 1,800 cities have already signed up in 74 countries including here in the US, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Nashville are all set to participate on March 28, 2009 to turn out their lights (8-9pm). If you want to participate you may log on to: <a href=”http://www.earthhourUS.org” and see how you can help.
One may say, what exactly will an hour do? In terms of reducing emissions maybe the result would be miniminal. However, it is the underlying message that this simple act gives that will make the diffrence. Global warming and climate change are not only an environmental problem but also a political issue as well. What Earth Hour does (and remember , that this has gone global now) then is demonstrate that people care enough about the issue to see changes in the political structure. Given the chain effect, that politicians need the peoples’vote to make it happpen, then this symbolic act or statement will eventually force goverments to act on restricting and capping emissions throughout. When this happens globally, then we will see results; and therefore Earth Hour could be considered a success. Furtheremore, the more we participate, the more of a statement this becomes. So do your part on 3/28!!!
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