Sunday, March 29, 2009

Can we save the Earth in air-con comfort?

Yesterday at 8.30pm was Earth Hour. If you don't know what that is, Earth Hour is an international event organised by the WWF which calls for households and businesses around the world to turn off non-essential lights and electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness on the need for action to stop climate change. Earth Hour is held on the last Saturday of March each year.

Flashback to about a week ago when a flyer for Earth Hour arrived in the mail.

Me: What's that?

Kenneth: Earth Hour, supposed to turn off lights for one hour.

Lesley-Anne (self-professed tree hugger): Let's do it!

Me: Hmm... I guess I can still play computer games in the dark.

Andre: Ok, I can watch tv.

Kenneth: Cannot lah, you're supposed to turn off all electricity!

Me: What? I thought it's just lights?

Andre (alarmed): Hah? Cannot turn on air-con also?

Lesley-Anne: We're supposed to save the earth!

Me: Then what, we just sit around in the dark for one hour?

Andre: Without air-con?

Kenneth (reading the flyer): Oh, we're invited to go the shopping centre where the lights will be turned off for one hour.

Me: Then what, we all stand around in the dark for one hour?

Andre: Never mind, there got free air-con!


In the end, we dutifully sat in the bedroom in the dark with one lit candle. From 8.30-9.30pm, we played word games and had Lesley-Anne attempt to explain global warming to Andre... but with the air-conditioner on. Sorry, if you want Andre to join the revolution, you'll have to move him out of the tropics.

3 comments:

Lilian said...

Back when I was growing up in Malaysia, we had Earth Hours many times a year, I hated it! Blackouts lah. I was so appreciative when I came to Singapore and realised there were hardly any blackouts.

These blackouts would last hours into the night. I must have been such a pain, cos I remember whining and moaning, and my mum or sis would have to use those beige-coloured fans to fan me while I cried to sleep in the hall. Some more got mosquitos biting me and buzzing around my ears too.

When electricity finally comes on, can hear everyone in the neighbourhood cheering. Ahhh, memories!

Andre, you don't know how good you've got it!

monlim said...

Actually, we did have frequent blackouts too, also water rationing, but that was probably before you came to SG. And yes, when the lights came back on, everyone would cheer! What to do, our kids are spoilt lah! (although we adults have also grown soft, keep complaining hot :P)

Anonymous said...

We used to and still have Blackouts in india and keep celebrating "Earth hour" or "Earth hours" during heavy rains :)
nice to read the stories...we went for a birthday party so we did celebrate the "Earth hour", the house was locked, no lights on ....
Veena

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