{"id":462405,"date":"2010-03-23T13:02:29","date_gmt":"2010-03-23T17:02:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/green.yahoo.com\/blog\/guest_bloggers\/27\/what-activities-can-i-do-when-i-turn-off-the-lights-for-earth-hour.html"},"modified":"2010-03-23T13:02:29","modified_gmt":"2010-03-23T17:02:29","slug":"what-activities-can-i-do-when-i-turn-off-the-lights-for-earth-hour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/462405","title":{"rendered":"What activities can I do when I turn off the lights for Earth Hour?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\"candle\"
\n
(Photo: Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Q: Earth Hour is coming up on March 27 and I, for one,
\nam excited to get in on the action and turn off my lights.\u00a0One question
\nthough \u2013 what the heck am I supposed to do in the dark for a whole hour?<\/em><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/div>\n
A:<\/strong> You\u2019ve come to the right place, my friend. For
\nthose of you who don\u2019t know, the World Wildlife Fund<\/a> started Earth
\nHour<\/a> three years ago, asking people to turn off their lights for one
\n hour to raise awareness about the need to take action on climate
\nchange. It has since become a global phenomenon, with more and more
\npeople turning out their lights each year.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
In 2009, nearly 1 billion people in 4,100 cities in 87 countries on
\nseven continents turned out their lights for Earth Hour. The only
\nquestion many people have is exactly yours. What am I supposed to do in
\nthe dark for a whole hour? <\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Well, I\u2019ve got some great ideas for ways you
\ncan spend Earth Hour. And you know what? These activities are so fun,
\nyou won\u2019t even remember to turn on the lights come 9:30.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Eat a candlelit dinner
<\/strong>Prepare the whole meal in advance
\nand make sure the table\u2019s set, so you don\u2019t stab anyone with the dinner
\nknives while trying to set the table in the dark. Then, once you switch
\noff the lights, settle down at the table and enjoy a candlelit dinner.
\nWhether it\u2019s with your honey, your family, or just a friend or two,
\nyou\u2019ll be sure to enjoy.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
If you\u2019ve got kids, play games or tell them stories
<\/strong>How
\n often is Saturday night just movie night? This Saturday night, get the
\nkids together for some ghost stories by candlelight or a game of
\nMonopoly. If you\u2019re really ambitious, you can even try building a fort
\nwith them in your living room.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Look at old picture albums
<\/strong>In this day and age,
\neverything\u2019s electronic \u2014 on a hard drive, a memory card, a USB stick,
\nin an online album somewhere on the Internet. You get my point. <\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
For
\nEarth Hour, why not pull out the dusty albums from years past
\n(everybody\u2019s got one somewhere) and leaf through some old pictures of
\nyourself or your family by candlelight. You can even make it into a game
\n (\u201cWho can find the only picture ever taken of Grandma in a
\ntwo-piece?\u201d). It\u2019s sure to make for some good times, good memories and
\nsome great stories.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Get some friends together for a game night
<\/strong>What says I care
\n about the Earth more than Taboo by candlelight? And the best part of it
\n is, it\u2019ll be dark enough that nobody will see you cheating.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Go outside for some stargazing
<\/strong>When was the last time you
\nlooked up at the sky and actually saw more than a few stars? That\u2019s
\nbecause with all the light pollution out there these days, it\u2019s hard to
\nsee much of anything in the sky besides the moon \u2014 or the lights of a
\npassing plane if you\u2019re lucky. <\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Take advantage of the Earth Hour
\nopportunity, and head outside for some good old-fashioned stargazing.
\nUnless of course, you\u2019re fortunate enough to live in Salt Lick, KY<\/a> \u2014
\nthen you might see stars any ol\u2019 night of the year.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Don\u2019t forget to check out this video promo<\/a>
\n for Earth Hour 2010, featuring landmarks across the world that went
\ndark for 2009\u2019s Earth Hour, including the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the
\nEmpire State Building in New York<\/a> City \u2014
\ndefinitely inspiring to watch. <\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
And remember, no matter how you decide to
\n spend Earth Hour, know that you\u2019re one of billions of people joining
\ntogether to take a stand on the future of our planet, and that, my
\nfriends, is more than enough.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
\u2014Chanie<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Got a question?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>Submit a
\n question to Mother Nature<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and one of our many experts will
\n track down the answer.\u00a0Plus: Visit our\u00a0<\/em>advice
\n archives<\/em><\/a>\u00a0to see if your question has already been tackled.<\/em><\/div>\n
\n

Chanie Kirschner writes a weekly advice column for the Mother Nature Network<\/a>, where this post originally appeared.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

More from Mother Nature Network<\/strong> <\/div>\n