Earth Hour

I am taking part in Earth Hour tonight - switching the lights off for an hour from 8.30pm local time, wherever you are in the world.

I don't normally do things like this - I like to make conscious considered decisions, and this means that I often object to the herd-like behaviour the internet, and social media in particular, sometimes lead to. It is too easy to join a group, sign a petition, stick an image on your blog and think that that is enough. (Sometimes, of course, it is all you can do.)

But I think climate change is really important; I think it is more important than the economy, more important than conflicts around the world (and I think those are pretty bloody important, too!).

So I shall be switching off my lights at 8.30pm tonight.

I'm not sure, though, what else I shall do - specifically, in that hour. The campaign is just about lights, not about electricity, but frankly the idea of, say, watching tv seems plain wrong. But I can't imagine that I shall switch off all my electric items: I will probably be listening to music, or maybe using the internet (the Earth Hour website suggests live blogging the hour, though I'm not sure I get that...), all of which uses electricity.

(It has been suggested that I meditate or masturbate for an hour; but I'm not sure I could do either of those activities for an hour. Maybe a little of both...)

Earth Hour

I am taking part in Earth Hour tonight - switching the lights off for an hour from 8.30pm local time, wherever you are in the world.

I don't normally do things like this - I like to make conscious considered decisions, and this means that I often object to the herd-like behaviour the internet, and social media in particular, sometimes lead to. It is too easy to join a group, sign a petition, stick an image on your blog and think that that is enough. (Sometimes, of course, it is all you can do.)

But I think climate change is really important; I think it is more important than the economy, more important than conflicts around the world (and I think those are pretty bloody important, too!).

So I shall be switching off my lights at 8.30pm tonight.

I'm not sure, though, what else I shall do - specifically, in that hour. The campaign is just about lights, not about electricity, but frankly the idea of, say, watching tv seems plain wrong. But I can't imagine that I shall switch off all my electric items: I will probably be listening to music, or maybe using the internet (the Earth Hour website suggests live blogging the hour, though I'm not sure I get that...), all of which uses electricity.

(It has been suggested that I meditate or masturbate for an hour; but I'm not sure I could do either of those activities for an hour. Maybe a little of both...)

Meme

It is a long time since I have done a meme. So I have done this one. It has the usual USA-centric questions, natch. (via nicnac.)
( Read more... )

Meme

It is a long time since I have done a meme. So I have done this one. It has the usual USA-centric questions, natch. (via nicnac.)
( Read more... )

Earth Hour

So I took part in Earth Hour this evening. I switched off my electric lights at 8.30pm; I feel I cheated a little – I lit a couple of candles and I had my hifi on. And I sat and listened to music – for the first half hour I listened to the radio – the second half of Jazz Record Requests (which featured a really beautiful version of Jerome Kern’s “All The Things You Are”, by Lee Konitz and Gerry Mulligan) – and then I listened to Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny’s record, Beyond The Missouri Sky.

It was lovely listening to this record by candlelight: it is gentle, contemplative music.

It was fascinating, because listen to the music is all I could do. Normally, I would do something else whilst listening to music – read a book, play on the internet, whatever. Using the computer or watching tv felt it would be cheating more than lighting candles; and I couldn’t read in the half-light.

So I sat, and listened to the music. I was very aware of the shadows as the candle-flame moved. I tried meditating, though that is something I have done little of, and thinking of nothing doesn’t come naturally. So I sat and listened and watched the shadows.

It did make me think how much we rely on energy: I was reminded of the few times I have been places without power, and of the power-strikes in 1970s Britain. I have been in places without energy a few times in my life – the Sinai coast; the Borneo forest (a couple of times); in India; camping in Scotland. It is the sky I remember – although tonight the Edinburgh streetlights remained on, and although I saw a sliver of a crescent moon, the sky was mostly clouded and no more visible than usual for Edinburgh.

It was interesting; something I might try more often: think of the world in a different way.

Earth Hour

So I took part in Earth Hour this evening. I switched off my electric lights at 8.30pm; I feel I cheated a little – I lit a couple of candles and I had my hifi on. And I sat and listened to music – for the first half hour I listened to the radio – the second half of Jazz Record Requests (which featured a really beautiful version of Jerome Kern’s “All The Things You Are”, by Lee Konitz and Gerry Mulligan) – and then I listened to Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny’s record, Beyond The Missouri Sky.

It was lovely listening to this record by candlelight: it is gentle, contemplative music.

It was fascinating, because listen to the music is all I could do. Normally, I would do something else whilst listening to music – read a book, play on the internet, whatever. Using the computer or watching tv felt it would be cheating more than lighting candles; and I couldn’t read in the half-light.

So I sat, and listened to the music. I was very aware of the shadows as the candle-flame moved. I tried meditating, though that is something I have done little of, and thinking of nothing doesn’t come naturally. So I sat and listened and watched the shadows.

It did make me think how much we rely on energy: I was reminded of the few times I have been places without power, and of the power-strikes in 1970s Britain. I have been in places without energy a few times in my life – the Sinai coast; the Borneo forest (a couple of times); in India; camping in Scotland. It is the sky I remember – although tonight the Edinburgh streetlights remained on, and although I saw a sliver of a crescent moon, the sky was mostly clouded and no more visible than usual for Edinburgh.

It was interesting; something I might try more often: think of the world in a different way.