Unplugged for Earth Hour

Tonight my house went dark for Earth Hour. I joined people around the world who dimmed their lights from 8:30 until 9:30 p.m. For 60 minutes, the lights were off in some 4,000 cities in more than 120 countries.

As for me, I found myself listening to the loud silence as my house slowly went darker and quieter with each fuse I flipped. Most of my senses were heightened as I wandered around my shadowy house holding my green scented candle in front of me. It was so quiet without the hum of electronics and combined background noise of appliances that I could hear the flickering of the candle flame and my quick, careful breathing. I noticed the soft sound of Casey following me and my bare feet padding from wood floor to carpeting, and from stairways to landings.

The hour flew by. I wish I could say I pondered my commitment to reducing my carbon emissions for the whole 60 minutes, but my mind wandered and my thoughts flew through too many topics to count. I hope I can be more committed. I want to find ways to lower my use. I'm going to try to make my footprint quieter this year and my impact softer.