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March 22, 2013

Earth Hour: More than Just a Symbolic Gesture. ~ Laura Sabransky

Source: Uploaded by user via Anne on Pinterest

When you’re living consciously, what’s more important: changing the small daily habits or more impactful, but less frequent ones?

My naprapath and I were having this discussion the other day and I maintained that like a guitarist’s need to create muscle memory through repetition, changing to healthier small daily habits is just as key as changing more impactful, but less frequent ones. I’m far from the “greenest” person, but now that I’ve slowly transitioned to soy milk (something I thought I would never do), I’m thinking about other ways to help heal myself and our planet. Changing seemingly insignificant, daily habits creates a template for awareness and action.

This is what it is at the crux of 2013 Earth Hour.

Earth Hour—the hour we switch off our lights to participate in the single, largest, mass participation event in the world—has become much more than a symbolic gesture toward environmental commitment.

At 8:30 p.m. your time on Saturday, March 23, as you join a global community of millions of people in more than 7,000 cities and 150 countries with the simple action of committing to turning off your lights for one hour, you can help set off a series of other positive actions to help the environment around the world.

A multitude of individuals, companies and organizations are vowing to take steps to combat climate change and other environmental concerns if you accept their challenges:

Eighth graders in Bali, Indonesia vow to go paperless for a year if you agree to plant one tree.

Greenpeace International’s Kumi Naidoo will give up two weeks of vacation to work with young people if at least 5,000 people will commit to one action, such as eating organic/vegetarian three days a week.

An organization in Ireland vows to plant a million trees in one day if you simply turn off your lights at 8:30 p.m. this Saturday.

Learn more here about how you can pay it forward from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., Saturday, March 23.

“Together, we can find the energy to turn the inspiration of one hour into the actions of every hour.”

Laura Sabransky’s advocacy for a more just, humane and sustainable world has been as volunteer – serving on boards, organizing and working events, launching grassroots activism campaigns, participating in demonstrations and writing to and for those who influence change. Her work with a variety of non-profit organizations includes volunteer management and education, special events organizing, fundraising and communications. Her degrees are in Psychology and Interior Design. Your contributions are welcome on her blog www.activistsdiary.com. You can connect with Laura on Facebook and twitter @mysticagitator.

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Ed: Lynn Hasselberger

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