Earth Hour

We did not attend mass this evening. Instead, we purchased some groceries and prepared an early dinner. The kids were excited to switch off all the lights and electrical appliances. Starting 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm was Earth Hour.

At exactly 8:30 pm the kids switched off everything. We went out to the garden and ate halo-halo. Surprisingly, inspite of El Niño, the evening was not hot and not humid. And surprisingly again, most houses in the subdivision where we live switched off their lights. Unlike last year, when only a handful of houses observed the Earth Hour. Tonight, even the subdivision switched off the street lights. Only the house of a neighbor who was too busy with her 5-6 business to bother with social issues, was blazing with lights. Later, the neighbor complained of the unlighted streetlights. So I informed her about Earth Hour. She grudgingly switched off all her lights after a few minutes.

According to reports, 15 million Filipinos in 1076 towns were expected to participate in the Earth Hour, when at the exact time environment-minded people all over the world switched off all the electrical devices in their homes for 1 hour.

I asked the kids about the meaning of Earth Hour and why we have to observe it. They talked about the environment and our duty to protect it. They too talked to the kasambahays and explained to them the importance of saving on water, electricity, and others.

Well, in the end, 1 hour of switching off our dependence to electricity in our house may not create a big dent in our electric bill. But the level of environmental awareness achieved by my kids and my neighbors may be too much to be tossed aside. @