An hour and a half ago, I drove into my neighborhood, that was almost pitch black. For the first time in years, my home was without lights at 9pm, the usual television peak hour. Instead, my door was decorated with shimmering tiny candles lighting my way in. Inside the house, I saw even more candles.
All those was for a good cause, we need to be part of this 'fixing' program to fix what we've damaged - Mother Earth. But somehow, I felt it was just another campaign that lasts as long as the posters were hung, as long as the tv or radio commercials were aired. Will Malaysians still turn off their lights when they don't need it on days following 28th March 2009? I hope we do.
The Earth Hour revolution which began in Sydney in 2007 where 2.2 million homes and businesses flicked their switches for an hour, to a global event in 2008 with 50 million people switching off their lights and to finally this year. The global participation had been gargantuan and the movement is continually gaining more attention (Mr. Former Vice President Al Gore must be feeling so accomplished now) and yet, it doesn't feel right.
Allow me to state my reasons.
1) It's easy to switch off the lights for an exciting hour where everyone else does the same. But to save energy in other days after this, where not everyone else does it? Hmmm...
2) To be able to save the world, we must first know why we need to save the world. Is everyone aware of the severity of this problem? That automobiles, factories and aerosol cans are not the major culprit to global warming but cows? (When slaughtered, livestock, especially cows, release methane gas into the atmosphere. Methane is more hazardous than the widely accused carbon dioxide)
3) Okay I ran out of reasons, but I'm sure there are more.
I have to say, I'm a little reluctant to sacrifice comfort from my current lifestyle, of not car-pooling, of turning on my television while I work on my laptop, of leaving the fan on upstairs while I enjoy my breakfast downstairs. These are menial things that I take for granted but I know they play a part to saving Mother Nature if only I choose to. Perhaps I should repent and start going green today.
Here's a classic story to illustrate that one person can make the difference, no matter how small the difference.
The Starfish Story
by Loren Eiseley (1907 - 1977)
Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.
He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"
The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."
"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.
To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."
Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"
At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."
