Earth Hour 2008: After-Thoughts

As the clock strikes 20:00 hours at every part of the world, all who had pledged to join in the Earth Hour 2008 would be turning off their lights and all electrical appliances to show support to the movement. So did I.

I switched off my laptop 10min before 8pm.. then I turned off my table lamp, and finally I unplugged all electric sockets.. the only thing left on was my fridge, as the socket was behind the cupboard which I couldn't reach.. And so my room was plunged into total darkness..

The lights from buildings afar looked brighter.. so does some of the houses which I could see from my window.. I started to notice sounds that I didn't realize was there.. I could hear every single ticking of the clock.. The motor of the fridge seemed louder.. The wind outside my window seemed to howl more fiercely too.. Minutes passed like hours..

I had wanted to get some candles but decided against it. No point wasting one kind of resources in place of another.. And for that same reason I didn't use my mp3 player nor my laptop, since batteries too are a kind of energy resources that are (un)replaceable.. And so I can't do anything except to listen and feel the darkness.. lying on my bed, my mind began to wonder.. all kinds of thoughts come and go.. and after a while I kinda dozed off... Luckily I had the foresight to set my alarm clock at 21:05.. :p

Only after this experience did I realize how dependent I am on electricity.. As an information junkie, my computer is on almost 24 hours a day and there is at least one electrical appliance switched on at any one time too.. either my table lamp and/or my air-con/heater would be on.. I would either be doing some work or watching some movies/dramas/animes/whatever on my laptop.. I couldn't imagine what I would do if there is no electricity supply for more than 3 hours!! (That is how long my laptop's battery could last.. :p) And this Earth Hour was just a short trial of sort..

I couldn't help but to say this again, although many has said the same thing before, and I know it is kinda cliché but I think we should seriously take up the responsibility of preserving the environment NOW. Everyone can do their part by being more considerate and more conscious about recycling, reusing and reducing wastage in whatever form.. Earth Hour is just a start.. It is never too late if we start now.. slowly but surely.. one little step at a time..