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Unplug yourself

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There’s something tantalising about the idea of unplugging yourself. From the everyday, from the screens that fill every line of sight, from the noise of modern life, from the omnipresent wireless internet connection.

Challenging, yet also tantalising, is the idea of unplugging from the very thing that creates so much of the hubbub and speed of modern life, and the source of the ‘unplugging’ metaphor -  electricity and it’s most visible form, light.

This is what the global Earth Hour campaign, which started in Sydney and is held on 31 March 2012, asks us to do.

Earth Hour has fielded a lot of criticism in the past for being tokenistic and still invites the question: ‘why are the lights on in empty office buildings anyway?’. It’s up to each of us to decide whether this criticism is founded but there has been a great deal of effort made to move the campaign beyond this. The 2012 launch of ‘Earth Hour Unplugged’ represents a further steering of the campaign, by WWF, in the direction of going ‘beyond the hour’ and inviting participants to explore sustainable living in deeper and different ways (many of them much more fun than turning off the lights).

EH pull quote
There is an emphasis on spending time with friends, community and family. And the hour of darkness might just help with that.

So what are the cool things you can do without lights? Or one further, without electricity? These are the best things we could come up with, but the variety of awesome things to get going is endless.

1. A candle lit dinnercandle light dinner

We are lucky enough to have Earth Hour taking place in summer in Australia, so you can not only enjoy a candle lit dinner, but enjoy one outdoors. The sustainable living experiment can continue through to the food you serve. Whether it’s local, organic, seasonal or home-grown – whatever is most important to you – have a go at saying no to take-away or the convenience of the supermarket and make it as ‘scratch’ as you can.

 

2. Throw a street partystreet party

You could stage a turning off of the lights in your street and perhaps (especially if it’s a quiet street) request that the council turn off street lights for an hour. I’m fairly sure the street parties of my childhood only involved eskys , barbeques, torches (we always played spotlight), deck chairs and picnic rugs in any case.

 

3. Host an acoustic gigdan shepherd high tea

Do you play an instrument? Do your friends who are actually talented play in a band? The night is a great excuse to have a lo-fi musical romp. Knock together some milk crates, some wooden palettes for a stage, some candles, some friends and you’re sweet.

 

4. Dancing and romancing

Enough said.

 

 

 

 

5. Get fit!yoga candle

Do an hour’s worth of exercise that you wouldn’t otherwise do – a walk or run along a ridge where you can see the lights turn off, a dimly lit hour of yoga or pilates (bliss!), or tai chi in the park by candlelight. Already on the Unplugged site there’s an Earth Hour night bike ride.

 

Watching the official 2012 Earth Hour video it’s hard not to be inspired to be part of something bigger.

So whatever your thoughts on Earth Hour, there’s something extremely powerful in simultaneous grassroots, fun, sustainable living events going on around Australia. Click on the image below to get involved.

unplugged map


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