Every year, there are countless people around the world that have continued the tradition for a single hour to turn off the lights and other unessential appliances at home. Spearheaded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 2007, it has been humanity’s small but impactful way to give Mother Earth a breather.
The best way to keep this tradition going is to pass on to our children the importance of caring for the environment, and how each of their little ways of doing their part, will still make an impact in society.
In our family, Earth Hour is a time to appreciate the quiet, and wonder about the planet’s beginnings, the time when technology was not yet available. We think about how raw nature was our first habitat as well as our source of innovation.
Since lights out start at 8:30 in the evening, we also enjoy looking at the stars when the weather permits the view of a clear sky. We always notice how our senses open up to the little things we fail to appreciate like hearing birds or crickets. It’s also one of the best times to train the mind to shake off restlessness, learn to keep silent, and be mentally still.
For our children, this simple hour extends to other things that go hand-in-hand with the global tradition. Teaching them trash segregation from a young age has made them disciplined with food consumption and disposal. Rain or shine, my eldest son has been trained to take out the trash and place it in their proper bins. My daughter, who enjoys arts and crafts, has learned to use recycled materials at home to beautify and decorate her creations. As parents, we would like to believe that we are honing her mind to work with what is already there that might otherwise be thrown away.
We see Earth Hour as a family activity. It’s in these experiences that we are able to teach our children to value and care for our natural resources and feel the “pulse” of their environment. All warm and cushy feelings aside, it’s actually vital to instruct them on how to preserve and conserve. It gives them the awareness of the impact of individual actions and ingrains in them that it starts with them. Because someday, they will grow into adults. They may one-day run companies, be talented inventors, or even dominate in creative fields. Respect for sustainability will be an important character trait for them to have because their decisions and even their influence can impact others and the world.
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