Dinner by Candlelight

Whether it is tonight, as in my part of the world, or tomorrow as it maybe in yours, it is my idea of a lovely evening, on the verandah with a glass of wine. My simple action to mark Earth Hour. I wonder what yours might be?

They say it is a visible, symbolic action to raise awareness of climate change. While it is, I take a different view.

It is a small simple step to opening our minds and raising consciousness of the moral obligation to look after our planet. And small actions can form habits that can be built into daily life.

Take dealing with rubbish. What do you do with a packet once you have opened it? A can, a bottle, vegetable peelings? Put them in the bin, recycling ones if you have that option, and make a compost. Replacing plastic with cloth or paper, particularly bags, is also a small step that is simple to take to reduce the amount of rubbish you generate.

And water use – use lower settings on taps and faucets, and change leaking or faulty ones.

The other area where small actions can make huge differences is in electricity use. Turn off and unplug devices when you are not using them, use cold water when you can, and turn off air conditioning, opening windows and doors.

Taking this view, Earth Hour can help us take small actions to form habits to build into our lives to reduce our impacts on our planet. And our small actions can begin with what other people have done or new ones we might discover.

And as you change your life, one small action at a time, know that you have taken the step from being an advocate to an activist with a genuine, sustainable interest in the environment.

Enjoy your dinner.