About ten years ago, I did a six week tour of various cafetoriums, gymnasiums and hallways of Midwest elementary schools called "The Earth Protectors". Besides forcing me to wear a silver hardhat and cape, "The Earth Protectors" was a show designed to teach kids about recycling. "Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Rethink." was the message. (Although, I'm sure the underlying message was "Kids, don't be an actor unless you want to tour in a mini-van with faulty brakes and sleep in cheap, hygenically-challenged hotels and wear matching polo shirts." But I digress.) Reduce the amount of potential trash you make, reuse whatever you can, and recycle materials like cans and paper. I can't remember what the "Rethink" was. Probably something like, "Rethink how you live your wasteful life." Not that your life is a waste but all the waste you produce in your life. We were Earth Protectors not Scared Straight.
I am a huge proponent of this mantra. Yes, yes, I know that it takes a lot of energy to recycle things but that's why the Reduce and Reuse are first. So say what you will about Climate Change, the condition formerly known as Global Warming, all you want. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about Conservation, of which I am a big advocate. I partly blame my ex-stepfather for this. He charged me a quarter every time I left a light or the TV on when I wasn't in the room. It used to really piss me off. So you would think as an adult I would rebel and open all the windows and crank the AC, all the while biting into a styrofoam cup. But no, weirdly enough, that quarter thing helped make me a believer. And that's why I participated in the Earth Hour. (I think I just heard "damn, dirty hippie" faintly in the distance.)
Earth Hour was tonight at 8:30pm local time and people were encouraged to turn off all electricity for one hour. (I ended up in candlelight for two hours. So if your schedule was not conducive to lights-out, I did an extra for you.) The Eiffel Tower went dark. So did the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Opera House. And the Acropolis. Which didn't originally have electric lights so not much of a sacrifice there.
I lit the candles at 8:15pm and enjoyed the quiet. OK. Not quite quiet. There was some traffic noise. The baby next door crying on one side and the sullen 20-year-old knocking things over on the other. And my dog sneezing from the scented candles. But overall quiet. Enough for me to reflect on all the electricity I use, how to embrace simplicity in my life and whether or not it would be cheating to open the refrigerator door for a drink (I refrained, thank you very much).
So you can think whatever you like about Climate Change. I honestly didn't do Earth Hour for the Earth. I did it for me, if I can be so selfish. Because Conservation is selfish. You are essentially hoarding your energy. And you are ultimately saving money. I'm not a damn, dirty hippie. I'm a self-centered miser. And I'm getting back all those quarters...
Amenities of Room 524: Bible made of Unbleached 100% Post Consumer Paper. Timer-controlled lamps. Possibly clean sheets.
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