Earth Hour: Because taking in change is hard

The second official Earth Hour can be observed on Saturday, March 27, 2010, at 8:30 P.m. local time for several. The official website for Earth Hour suggest that as people turn off their lights during a scheduled time, a blackout “will once again cascade around the globe, from New Zealand to Hawaii.” The Los Angeles Times calls Earth Hour “the world’s largest global climate change initiative.” Earth Hour, says the Times, is a “global call to action . . . a call to stand up and take responsibility.”

Easy Earth Hour

In the most basic sense, Earth hour’s call to action is the least we can do. Being a part of Earth Hour doesn’t require we need to change our lives by actually being responsible for the environment. All we have to do is switch off the lights for an hour.

Borrow money, shop, donate

It will not cost you anything to participate; however, Earth Hour sells merchandise on their official website to anyone who believes this might help stop climate change. Those who believe it may make better environmental sense to donate cash directly to Earth Hour can do that online, too. At the time of this writing, Earth Hour Gear was not yet available, but donations could be made now, so it’s not too early to fill out a personal loan application if you need a loan to do your part for Earth Hour.

Climate change in a nutshell

According to the Earth Hour web site, the consequences of climate change are being felt all over the United States. Alaska’s climate has gone up twice as fast as the rest of the US. Glaciers are retreating when permafrost is thawing, sea ice is reducing, and snowmelt is earlier within the spring. In the Northwest, Water supplies are being strained while erosion is escalating because winters are wetter while summers are dryer. Within the Southwest, droughts are becoming additional of a concern because water supplies are more scarce.

Within the Midwest, downpours are twice as frequent as they were a hundred years ago when lake ice is being reduced. The Northeast has less snow and a lot more rain. Within the Southeast there are additional hurricanes, higher winds, a lot more storm surges, increased air temperatures, and greater rainfall. On the islands and coastlines, where there are a lot more sensitive areas to climate change, wetlands are drowning, the man-made environment is threatened, shorelines are eroding, and sea levels are rising.

Taking a real stance doesn’t have to be hard

It is always good to take a stance on the environment, but it is going to take a lot more than an hour long ritual of turning off your lights for making a change. It also doesn’t mean you’ve to live in a teepee without electricity or running water.

You may try eating foods that use less fossil energy to produce, purchase less wasteful goods, or even try to ride a bike every so often rather than driving.There’s nothing to stop people from turning off the lights for Earth Hour while making real changes, too; except, of course, that change is hard and flipping a switch is easy.