Join me for Earth Hour

Here’s a painless way to make a positive impact. On March 29, at 8 p.m., my family will turn off every light in our home. We will leave them off for an hour. So far, there are 652 other people from Ottawa, 24,816 others in Canada, and 84,652 globally (up 500 from three hours ago, when I signed up) doing the same.

The movement started in Sydney last year. The 2.2 million individuals and 2,100 businesses that participated lowered Syndey’s power usage by 10.2%. The energy saved was equivalent, so the site tells us, to that saved by keeping 48,000 cars off the road. For a year.

When you sign up, you will receive an email with a link to your very own page on their site. Through that page, you can invite your friends, and they will track how many people you were responsible for bringing into the event.

It’s such a simple thing to do. When I explained it to my 14-year-old, her response was heart-warming: “That’s so easy, mum. Why don’t we do that every day?” Why not, indeed?

March 29, 8:00 p.m. Earth Hour. Won’t you join us?