One hour, for the earth.

A little wine, a few candles, and a charming (if poorly played) accordion serenade for my sweetheart.
Yup, just a regular ol' Earth Hour at my house.

Seriously people, Earth Hour asks so little of us. I think it's a bad sign for the future of this planet, when I hear so much grumbling about having to turn the power off for a measly little hour. Or why it can't be earlier when it's naturally lighter. That's the whole point! It's an emblematic sacrifice to show our over-reliance on ever-dwindling resources. We consume, consume, consume, and honestly, I think we need way more than a tiny, annual reminder to change our habits. I recently heard that we humans are consuming the earth's resources at a rate of one-and-a-half earths. This is a problem. And very clearly an unsustainable one.

I look forward to Earth Hour every year—more than most holidays, in fact—and Mark and I like to make a whole evening of it. We try to turn things off well before 8:30, and leave them off until the next day (because you can't exactly blog with pen and paper, sadly). We tried, and had some success with initiating Earth Wednesdays where we'd power down one night a week, but fell out of the habit, and need to try again.

Going un-plugged is so great. It's a chance to really connect with those around you. It's about making due with less. It's a nice reminder of simpler times. And hopefully accompanied by the realization that most of the things we think we "need," we really don't.

And if you somehow missed it on Saturday, guess what: it's not too late for you! You can make everyday Earth Hour. I know, pretty awesome, huh?

So go on, light up some candles (preferrably beeswax or soy, or at least not petroleum-based paraffin—I still have a few of the latter, but am happily phasing them out), and have some fun! Read, play boardgames and cards, talk, or just relax! What's not to love?