The Earth Hour event is not meant to actually make a physical impact for that one hour. It is the gesture ..one hour a year that people can actually do something together ..as a gesture of conservation and respect for our planet. It’s a movement of awareness. There are hundreds, if not thousands of gatherings to celebrate the event every year since it started.
The first year of Earth Hour, my partner and I went near downtown to celebrate with a bunch of people ..we all held candles and it was cold. There was free hot chocolate and coffee. There were people of all ages and races. The neatest part about it was the feeling of having so many people that actually came out of their comfy homes (most took public transit or walked) to be part of an important movement. Then at 8:30pm, as we all watched from across the river, at least half of the downtown went dark. It was a good feeling.
I guess I don’t see it as a guilt thing… or a government intrusion. To me, it is an hour of honoring and respecting our planet. It’s an hour to bring awareness to an ever increasing issue (that so many people still don’t seem to give a damn about in these “modern” times).
And, yes, I consider myself an environmentalist and conservationist. I do what I can ..within my means.
And if it makes others feel “bad” or “guilty” ..maybe that’s their problem and not the “green movement” ..eh?
By asking the question, I really thought there’d be more positive responses ..it saddens me.