by candlelight

for those of you who didn't know: Earth Hour occurred today. what is Earth Hour you ask? according to earthhour.org, this is the brief explanation:

On March 31 2007, for one hour, Sydney made a powerful statement about the greatest contributor to global warming – coal-fired electricity – by turning off its lights. Over 2.2 million Sydney residents and over 2,100 businesses switched off, leading to a 10.2% energy reduction across the city. What began as one city taking a stand against global warming caught the attention of the world.
In 2008, 24 global cities will participate in Earth Hour at 8pm on March 29. Earth Hour is the highlight of a major campaign to encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take the simple steps needed to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis. It is about simple changes that will collectively make a difference – from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty, to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby.

so yeah, at this point, you've missed it. but you can a) participate next year or b) have your own Earth Hour any time!

it turned out pretty awesomely tonight, because Earth Hour occurred at the same time at the Team Up Gear Up: Biking Against Human Trafficking conference call where we got to hear David Gutnick from the CBC in Canada talk about slavery in 3 different african countries. it was very interesting. especially sitting here by candlelight on the call, wondering if others on the call were also sitting by candlelight (or in the dark). at one point, david talked about one of the cities he was in where parents sold their kids into slavery, mostly unknowingly - thinking their kids were being sent off to work and in turn be put through schooling, which of course never happened. and a couple young girls who had escaped from their masters and found their way back home had started an anti-slavery club - trying to educate the adults in their town about what was really happening to their kids. and they started this radio show. because, David said, they dont have electricity there, but battery run radios are really popular, because when the sun goes down every night at 6ish and the family is sitting around a candle, listening to the radio was the best option around. and so they'd sit by candlelight listening to this anti-slavery show put on by young kids who had escaped. and upon hearing this, while sitting by my candle here - there was just something about that i found incredibly wonderful.

and on a side note, while electricity is wonderful, there is something pure and simple about sitting by candlelight. and i think i shall do it more often. a few years back, my roommate at the time gave me a book about how to make candles. i sadly have never used it :( but maybe this night could inspire me to learn and make candles [you know, in my spare time!] and start spending more evenings by candlelight, and maybe in doing so, remember those around the world who have no other option.