For the beauty of the earth

In recent years, there has been mounting interest in ecological friendliness and concern for preserving the gifts of creation. Far different from the days when all the refuse from daily living found its way onto the common trash heap, the tendency these days - in some cases mandated by local laws - is to recycle, reuse and reduce the amount of trash we accumulate.

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops recently published a pastoral letter on the environment. This was done during the United Nations International Year of Planet Earth, and is a call for the fostering of a collective consciousness to face critical environmental problems affecting the earth.

Our friends down under have been leaps and bounds ahead of many of the rest of when it comes to being ecologically aware. In fact, they even introduced the practice of Earth Hour in 2007. What began as a local endeavor to make a difference in a few people's lives has continued to snowball into what has become a world-wide effort this year. From Sydney to Toronto and all points in between, efforts have been combined with the World Wildlife Foundation.

Earth Hour has actually created such a stir that people all over the world are talking about it, and various blogs about it have also been created. The place is abuz with conversation, ideas and methods to observe just one hour of being aware of our use of power and the gifts of the earth. The proposal is actually very simple - turn off the lights, and unplug all expendable sources of power for one hour, from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Saturday, March 29. The dip in the power grids might be somewhat reminiscent of the blackout of 2003 which left many parts of Ontario and New York State in the dark for up to 24 hours, but this time it will be done on purpose as a conscious effort to make a difference in reducing our ecological footprint.

This might not be that bad of an experience. Not relying on electricity, we might actually have to sit and face each other. Rather than staring at television or computer screens, we might actually have to talk to one another, just for a little while ... and we might actually be surprised to find that we like what we see about others and about ourselves.