Earth Hour

"A dark hour for a brighter future" was the slogan to celebrate Earth Hour at Cebu's Ayala Mall.

Close to 8:30PM the MC of the Earth Hour event announced: "Let us all switch of the lights for Earth Hour and send out this powerful global message!"

Which message? That we all found the light switches? That, collectively, we can make an insignificant difference on global power consumption by switching of the lights for an hour (while leaving the aircon running)?

I consciously choose to miss the symbolic character of Earth Hour because for me there is none. A "global call for action on global warming" by switching off the lights for an hour?

The message is that: sit in the dark and you don't consume energy. That's true. How about a more practical approach to leading an energy efficient life? Our societies and technologies are developed enough to consume while to preserve. And while a candle is very romantic indeed, I prefer a more sufficient light source to read a book in the evening.

In comparison, lights consume the least energy in my house. The spike in my electricity bill is obviously connected to the (very limited) use of the aircon. My stove is "plug"-powered, so is my fridge, mylaptop, my radio, my TV, my washing machine...

The message I would like to have heard during Earth Hour is ways on how to consume less energy or how to identify the high energy consuming appliances in my house. I don't think I needed a lesson on how to turn my light switch to OFF.