On March 29, 2008 at 8:00 pm millions of people, businesses and governments around the world will turn off the lights for one hour during Earth Hour and raise awareness of climate change.
Get yourself and your family involved by registering to turn off the lights during Earth Hour 2008.
You can use Earth Hour 2008 as an opportunity to teach your children something about climate change and find ways that you as a family can go green.
Why didn't our parents do something when they had the chance?
Al Gore, in his book and movie An Inconvenient Truth gave us all the following wake up call:
You look at that river gently flowing by. You notice the leaves rustling with the wind. You hear the birds; you hear the tree frogs. In the distance you hear a cow. You feel the grass. The mud gives a little bit on the river bank. It's quiet; it's peaceful.
And all of a sudden, it's a gear shift inside you. And it's like taking a deep breath and going,
"Oh yeah, I forgot about this."
He goes on to note that:
Future generations may well have occasion to ask themselves, "What were our parents thinking? Why didn't they wake up when they had a chance?"
We have to hear that question from them, now.
Are you ready to turn off the lights?
Register to participate in Earth Hour 2008. On March 20 at 8:00 pm turn off your lights for an hour. By teaching our children about climate change and green activities and joining together with people and companies participating around the world, we will see what a difference we can all make working together to have a positive impact on climate change.
You can make a difference for the planet by doing something positive and live a greener day today. These are all simple things that you can teach your children.
Turn out your lights.
Buy energy-saving lights.
Turn electrical goods off when not in use.
Pump up your car tires to reduce fuel consumption.
Walk when you can to save energy.
Turn down the thermostat in the winter, turn it up in the summer.
During the 8:00 pm hour on March 29, 2008, you can spend the time replacing old light bulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) and commit to reducing energy consumption in the year ahead.
For even more information and to view many of the video about Earth Hour and the many messages of support, you can visit the Earth Your 2008 lens on Squidoo.
Kirsti A. Dyer MD, MS, CWS is a respected physician, an expert in life challenges, loss, grief and bereavement, professional health educator, professor, lecturer and author. Dr. Dyer is trained in Internal Medicine or an Adult Medicine specialty. She is the mother of two young energetic daughters whom she is trying to educate and make aware about issues affecting our planet.
Dr. Dyer created and has maintained Journey of Hearts, a website for anyone who has ever experienced a loss. She is also the Parent of a very healthy NICU Survivor. She is the author of For Those Who Hold the Littlest Hands, an eBook written to provide information, encouragement and support for NICU parents.