Today's Earth Hour

This is probably the nth reminder for all to join today's Earth Hour. Please remind everyone you know to turn off their lights between 8-9 tonight- Philippine Time.

Please remind all in your household, please call, text your friends and ask them to call others as well. Ask them to join everyone else in Cebu, in the Philippines, all throughout the world to turn off their lights to show their concern, to express their commitment to protect and conserve Mother Earth.

The more participants, the more energy that can be saved!

In Cebu, the goal is to save about 30 megawatts or more, equivalent to shutting off an entire power plant! If everyone sacrifices even just "an hour of darkness" all throughout the world, imagine how much energy can be saved!

The goal of Earth Hour 2010 is "to raise awareness about climate change issues and provide a forum for every individual, groups, communities, and governments to take concrete and sustained actions to address global warming and ensure a sustainable future."

Another way to support the Earth Hour, according to Councilor Nestor Archival, chairman of the executive committee of Cebu Earth Hour Core Group, is to log on to the www.earthhour.org website to have their "Vote Earth" counted or to log into the Earth Pilipinas website http://greenarmynetwork.net./earthhour2010. Councilor Archival is calling on all Earth Hour advocates to join this network that aims to build "a community of Earth Hour advocates."

So please remember Earth Hour tonight, from 8-9. Please remember as well to log in to either or both the www.earthhour.org website or the Earth Pilipinas website. Please also invite as many as you can to join the earth hour and to log in to the earth hour websites.

Of course, as the March 25th editorial of this paper wrote, one hour is not enough to save the earth. All of us here in the Philippines, as well as all the people throughout the world, have to consciously remember to protect and preserve our earth always, and not only for an hour once a year!

The Earth Hour, however, is an affirmation that people throughout the world, can unite for a very good common cause: To save our earth. If they can commit even just an hour or a minute to log into the earth hour website, then they can be encouraged to commit more of their time, to save energy, to save this world, this earth, and to save people, and to save themselves as well in the process!

One hour per year, of course, is not enough to reverse the daily harmful environmentally unfriendly practices that everyone, consciously or unconsciously, is guilty of doing. Not segregating our garbage comes to mind easily, including wasteful use of electricity and water. Cutting down of precious trees, smoke-belching and laxity in preventing polluting industries and practices are added examples of human practices that have added to global warming, compromising every person's opportunity to have a safe and sustainable environment now and in the future.

The Earth Hour is certainly insufficient to avert the damages inflicted by humans on Mother Earth but everyone's participation, each one's commitment, even just for an hour is a significant start towards a lifetime commitment for a better, sustainable environment and life.

If only the one-hour commitment for earth is sustained and continued, and done daily, then our united effort as a world community can help mitigate and hopefully, avert the dangers and menace of global warming.

Imagine for every minute and hour committed to saving the earth, humankind increases each and everyone's opportunity not only to survive but to survive sustainably.

For the Earth Hour, which started in 2007, individuals and sectors have joined hands to make their one-hour involvement count. We hope that beyond today's Earth Hour, the same individuals and sectors, or more individuals and sectors will continue, in unity, with their earth-friendly practices and reminders.

Show your commitment for preserving Mother Earth, for preserving God's creations! You can start with today's Earth Hour - and please continue your earth hour throughout your lifetime!

* * *

Email: [email protected]