Earth Hour 2008

What if the overwhelming issue of climate change could be solved in an hour? What if cities across the world banded together to cooperatively cure our planet?

The World Wildlife Fund has such a hope -- for people to reduce their energy use and as a result, make our planet cleaner. The group is sponsoring Earth Hour 2008, a day in which for one hour they hope people around the world will do exactly nothing -- nothing involving any non-essential energy use, that is.

At 8 PM on March 29, WWF is asking people to turn off anything non-essential, like TVs, dishwashers, computers, lights, radios, etc. The hope is that by showing people how easy it is to drastically reduce energy usage for a short period of time, we will begin making such changes over longer periods. Since most cities use multiple carbon creating sources for electrical power, such as nuclear, coal and natural gas, a reduction in usage equals a reduction in carbon emissions, which means cleaner air for you and me and maybe lots of happy polar bears removed from the brink of extinction.

More than 20 cities around the world will be participating in the hour. "A lot of people feel global warming is too big of a problem for any one of us to make a difference," said Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon. "This shows we can do something."

"We are building awareness," Leslie Aun of the World Wildlife Fund said from her office in Washington, D.C. "Change can happen."

Don’t forget, though, that simply turning things off does not stop their energy usage. An appliance when turned off, but remaining plugged in, still consumes 40 percent of the energy it consumes when turned on. That means 40 percent of your toaster’s power is still running from the wall, through the plus, up the wire and into the toaster, even when you are not toasting anything. Unplug the toaster and save that energy. Do the same with every appliance you have -- except your fridge and freezer, of course! -- like your coffee maker, blender, that adorable red Kitchen Aid mixer, your cell phone battery charger, lamps in the guest room, your hair drier, fans, anything you can think of that plugs in!

Get more info and sign up at Earthhour.org.