Dancing in the Dark

Tomorrow night is Earth Hour 2011!  At 8:30 PM, people around the world will turn their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change.

While this started in 2007, this will only be my third official Earth Hour.

For my first one, John and I sat in our apartment, candles lit, and...I waited. The hour seemed to take forever.  We talked but I admit I kept checking my watch.  And I remember when it was time to turn the lights back on, it felt weird.  Was that it?  Was the purpose just to sit in the dark for an hour?  Had I really done my part?  Or was I just waiting for HGTV to come back on?


For my second one, John and I sat in our apartment, candles lit, and...I fell asleep.  That felt weird too.  I was pretty sure the idea was to stay awake and reflect, not repose.  And John had to listen to me snore.


For my third one, John and I sat...in a theater.  We had tickets to a play.  There we were...in a black box theater with lots of big, hot lights shining down.  A reminder of the global warming that at that moment we weren't doing anything about.


Somehow my Earth Hours weren't adding up...or coming together.


For my fourth...tomorrow night...I will go back to sitting in my apartment, candles lit, and...what?

How can I/we make the most of our hour in the dark?  (Minds out of the gutter, please...this is for the environment!)

Here are five ideas on How to Make the Most of Earth Hour...candles lit:


1) Invite friends over and have an Earth Hour party!  Grab some organic or local wine/beer, bake some kale chips and par-tay!


2) Get crafty with the kids!  Get out all that scrap paper, torn t-shirts, loose buttons and put them to work.  It's about time you had some new art on your walls!


3) Plan out your next eco-friendly vacation equipped with a Terrapass, eco-friendly hotel and a beach clean-up!


4) Do an early spring cleaning!  Get into your closet and purge.  Fill up your bags of unwanted items and take them over to your neighborhood Goodwill so others can use them.


5) Grab your bottle of local/organic wine and snuggle up with your loved one.  Revel in the silence, soak up the ambience and feel good that you are raising your own awareness to keep this incredible planet of ours going.  (Now you can put your mind back in the gutter!)