For March 29

Earth Hour 2014

Can you all spare an hour today, March 29, for Mother Earth? Can you turn off your lights at 8:30-9:30 tonight and join today's Earth Hour, a global movement of  millions of people around the world uniting to protect our planet Earth?

Earth Hour which started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia has now spread to 152 countries, including the Philippines. Every year, every March 29th, from 8:30-9:30p.m., we are all asked to share just an hour without electricity so that we can conserve previous energy.

Cebu City Councilor Nida Cabrera reported that Cebu saved 11 megawatts of power last year and she hopes that this year, Cebu will surpass this mark, through everyone's cooperation and your involvement please.

You can explore many creative ways to spend just an hour to save precious energy for our planet, our home which is now experiencing climate change.

For example, you may wish to observe the Earth Hour tonight at SM, at their North Wing Parking Area from 7:30-9 and enjoy a night of entertainment, games, and prizes!

Or instead of using electricity from 8:30-9:30 tonight, you may wish to stay out and enjoy gazing at the beautiful night sky with your loved ones? Candlelight may also lead to a romantic atmosphere — just please make sure you do not leave candles unattended to avoid fire!

Or you may wish to play with the children as well or take the time to enjoy a short walk? For the playful, against the candlelight, you may wish to do some shadow games with your fingers and create various images and figures for everyone's delight!

Councilor Nida also suggests the use of bicycles to help reduce carbon emissions, not only to save on power consumption during the Earth Hour. Councilor Nida is now campaigning for more bike lanes for Cebu City to encourage more to use bikes which are more eco-friendly and protective of our earth from global warming.

Or you can decide to be in total darkness during this Earth Hour — making use of the time to reflect on happy thoughts and memories. You may also want to use the darkness to light up your spirit backed up by prayers!

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it." (Psalm 24:1). And what a wonderful, beautiful world God has created for us!

As Shari Smyth wrote in the March 29th reading of the book, Everyday Blessings, "Creator God, thank You for the works of  Your hand that cry out the awesome truth of  Your care for me."

You may wish to use the Earth Hour to check on all the natural colors and scents that the Lord continues to provide all around us. " See how the lilies of the field grow.!( Matthew 6:29).

Take in all the beautiful colors of the flowers and plants around you during the Earth Hour — the roses in various colors, the trees and plants with their varying shades of green, or you can enjoy the pitch blackness of the night sky.

Find time as well to smell the sampaguita, the gardenia (rosal), and again the roses! You may also wish to taste the sweetness hidden within the multi-colored santan in your garden!

Or you may wish to spend the Earth Hour treating yourself to natural fruit juices. Also, savor the fragrance of the lemon or calamansi peel. Enjoy all other scents and fragrances all throughout your own garden and all throughout God's creations!

Within the Earth Hour, within an hour of darkness, you may see more and be more thankful, more appreciative of God's world to light up your soul and your spirit far beyond the one hour that you shared with the world , to restore, to protect God's home for you, for us  all.

Enjoy this year's Earth Hour, communing with millions from Cebu to the rest of the world, communing with God's creations, with yourself, and with God Himself.

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