Earth Hour 2010: Lights Out for Rye, Voluntarily This Time!

Rye residents probably don't want to hear anything more about the power outages considering the havoc wrought by the recent storm, but this Saturday night there's a chance to participate in Earth Hour, a global effort to turn your lights off (voluntarily this time!)

This Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. eastern time, you can join hundreds of millions in  turning off the lights for one hour in honor of the World Wildlife Federation's third annual Earth Hour.

From the Empire State Building to the Eiffel Tower, the sky will be a bit dimmer, but in another sense they'll illuminate how important it is for each of us to acknowledge our carbon footprints and to shrink our shoe size just a bit.

Here in Rye, the City Council passed a resolution Wednesday that will make Rye an official participating city in Earth Hour 2010. Rye Middle School is also on the list of participating organizations.

As of Thursday though, there were only four other cities and 75 other schools in New York taking part in the effort!

At Wednesday's meeting, Melissa Greico of the Environmental Advocacy Group of Rye encouraged the council to pass the measure that will turn off all non-essential city lighting during Earth Hour. It's no small thing that Rye's many environmental groups continue to help raise local awareness about the issues facing our environment, from the Long Island Sound to the Yangtze River.

Last year, Greico took part in Earth Hour, along with 80 million other Americans, nearly one billion global citizens as well as countless governments, companies, schools, and clubs.

"By turning off all non-essential lighting, schools, businesses, governments and individuals across the globe send a powerful visual message that we need to take swift action to address climate change," Greico said.

Today, EAGR will host a local family event in collaboration with the Rye Nature Center. From 7:30-8:30p.m., there will be a night hike and marshmallow roast at the Rye Nature Center.

I can't think of a better way to enjoy a nice spring evening than by looking at stars and roasting some marshmallows. I'm lucky enough to be housesitting up in Orange County for a few days, where the nighttime sky is nothing short of surreal!

So many people were ornery about the power outages of late, and while having to throw out ten pounds of frozen meat can be pretty annoying, consider how much energy so many of us waste each day without thinking twice! It seems like we could all afford to conserve, at least once in awhile.

(Ironically enough, Google estimates "the average car driven for one kilometer produces as many greenhouse gases as a thousand Google searches." So even posting and accessing this article has emitted just the teensiest amount of CO2!)

But that's the catch. Just as all of our online searches add up to a major contribution to carbon emissions, our individual efforts can collectively make a significant and positive impact, and it doesn't have to be torturous.

Earth Hour has the potential to turn people toward the idea of making small positive changes, like finding something fun to do in the dark for an hour every weekend! Turn off the computer an hour earlier each night, or better yet, turn it on for just an hour each day. Unplug your electronics. Grow your own garden.

Alright, I won't preach. You get the idea. But don't forget to check out the family night hike at the Rye Nature Center today at 7:30p.m.

Jaclyn Bruntfield's "Green Living" columns appear twice a month on Rye Patch. Check out Bruntfield's other bi-weekly column, "Westchester Moms," which details the triumphs and travails of motherhood.