Earth Hour Saturday, March 28, 8:30-9:30pm.

[Skyflower]

Well Earth Day is coming up, but Earth Hour is also fast approaching!

http://www.earthhour.org/

930 cities and towns in 80 countries have already committed to VOTE EARTH for Earth Hour 2009, as part of the worlds first global election between Earth and global warming.

Your light switch is your Vote!

VOTE EARTH
YOUR LIGHT SWITCH IS YOUR VOTE
This year, Earth Hour has been transformed into the world’s first global election, between Earth and global warming.

For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

This meeting will determine official government policies to take action against global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol. It is the chance for the people of the world to make their voice heard.

Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.

In 2009, Earth Hour is being taken to the next level, with the goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote. Unlike any election in history, it is not about what country you’re from, but instead, what planet you’re from. VOTE EARTH is a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community. A call to stand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday.

We all have a vote, and every single vote counts. Together we can take control of the future of our planet, for future generations.

VOTE EARTH by simply switching off your lights for one hour, and join the world for Earth Hour.

Saturday, March 28, 8:30-9:30pm.

[Skyflower]

Earth Hour Entertaining Idea:
Recipes and tips for Dining in the Dark from Canadian Chefs Jamie Kennedy & bob blumer

On the evening of March 28, thousands of Canadians will be celebrating Earth Hour with parties and gatherings in their homes. WWF-Canada has collected Earth Hour entertaining ideas and tips from renowned Canadian chefs Jamie Kennedy and bob blumer (creator/host of Food Network Canada's Surreal Gourmet and Glutton for Punishment).


From Chef Jamie Kennedy: “Braised Brisket of Beef with Beer and Onion Sauce”

Use brisket points for this recipe. This is the cut preferred for corned beef and gives great results for this dish.

- 2 Spanish onions, peeled and sliced
- 3 tbsp / 45 ml unsalted butter
- 2 cups / 480 ml beer
- 1 cup / 240 ml tomato sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp / 15 ml sunflower oil
- 1 3-lb / 1.35 kg piece beef brisket point

Preheat an oven to 200°F/95°C. Gently sauté the onions in the butter for 20 minutes or until they are golden brown. Add the beer and the tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, add the bay leaf and simmer.

Place a large frying pan on high heat. Add the sunflower oil. Place the brisket in the frying pan to sear. When it is brown on the bottom, turn it over. When it is brown on both sides, transfer it to a flat oven dish with a lid or an earthenware casserole Dutch oven. Pour the simmering sauce over the brisket. Place the lid on top and braise in the oven for 9 hours.

Carve six slices of braised brisket onto each plate. Serve with a green salad.

Serves 6.

*This recipe is low-energy as it calls for slow-cooking at lower temperatures.


From Chef bob blumer (creator/host of Food Network Canada's Surreal Gourmet and Glutton for Punishment): “A yummy salad of beets, fennel, and apples with stilton and maple-candied pecans.”

- 1/2 cup pecan halves
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 large (uncooked) beet
- 1 Fuji apple (or any other hard apple)
- 1 fennel bulb, trimmed
- 1 palmful fresh mint leaves, chopped coarsely
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 4 ounces stilton, or other blue cheese, crumbled

Make the candied nuts in advance at a time when you are already using your oven. In fact, make a big batch - they can be stored for weeks in a tightly sealed jar. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour maple syrup into a small bowl. Toss nuts in syrup, remove with a slotted spoon, and bake on a sheet of aluminum foil or a cookie sheet for approximately 10 minutes, or until nuts are roasted and syrup solidifies around nuts. Reserve until you make your salad.

Peel the beet and apple. Core the apple and fennel. Using the coarsest side of a grater, grate the beet, apple and fennel.

In a large bowl, combine beet, apple, fennel, mint, salt and pepper. Add oil and vinegar, stilton and nuts. Toss and serve immediately.

Serves 2 as a meal or 4 as a side salad.

**This recipe calls for raw fruits and vegetables and is energy-free.


More Earth Hour entertaining tips

Use candles for atmosphere: A room full of candles always manages to create a sophisticated ambiance. Fewer candles can create a spooky feeling (great for an evening of ghost stories). If you have children or pets, be sure to keep the candles out of reach.

Bring back the board game: Dinner parties are great for breaking out the board games or cards. From knowledge-based games to games requiring creativity, some healthy competition will add to your party’s energy level.

Energy efficient potluck: Hold a potluck party and encourage your guests to bring something that can be made on low heat or no heat at all! You’ll be surprised by the creative dishes your guests will come up with.

Store beverages in the garage: Since the weather is still a bit nippy, why not skip the fridge and store your drinks outside in a cooler or in the garage?

Stargazing: Since the lights are out in your city, why not take your guests out for an evening of stargazing? Make a game out of looking for constellations. If it’s not too cold, you can even move your party outside.

Fondue party: Don’t have time to prepare any dishes? Have a fondue party! From chocolate covered strawberries to cheese fondue, your source of energy here is candles: something you’d be using for Earth Hour anyway. This gives your guests the chance to sit down and talk to each other while having an activity to focus on. Best of all, it saves you time.

[Skyflower]

Getting closer...

[Skyflower]

Don't forget.  It's tomorrow. 

 
Earth Hour 2009: A Billion to Go Dark Saturday?Ker Than
for National Geographic News

March 26, 2009
Starting in New Zealand's remote Chatham Islands, thousands of cities, towns, and landmarks around the world will start to go dark for Earth Hour on Saturday evening.

Up to a billion people worldwide are expected to participate in this global voluntary blackout by switching off their lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time.

 



The movement, sponsored by the conservation nonprofit WWF, is designed as a symbolic gesture in support of action against global warming.

Now in its third year, Earth Hour has been attracting some high-profile advocates.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recently pledged his support for Earth Hour, saying it has the potential to be "the largest demonstration of public concern about climate change ever attempted."

Secretary-General Ban urged people to participate as a way of letting politicians know that they expect progress at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December, when world leaders will meet to draft a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol.

Other big names endorsing Earth Hour 2009 include actors Edward Norton and Cate Blanchett, musicians Alanis Morissette and Big Kenny, and the band Coldplay.


Landmarks at Night

Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia, in 2007 with about two million participants.

By 2008 the event had spread to nearly 400 participating cities in 35 countries and 50 million participants. (See before-and-after pictures of Earth Hour 2008.)

As of press time, more than 2,800 cities, towns, and villages in 84 countries worldwide are expected to take part in Earth Hour 2009.

World landmarks such as the Empire State Building, the Las Vegas strip, the Eiffel Tower, Rio de Janiero's statue of "Christ the Redeemer," Athens's Acropolis, Egypt's Great Pyramids, and Rome's Colosseum will also slip temporarily into darkness.

"Sometimes it takes a while for a good idea to get out there, and this year we're really hitting our stride," said WWF spokesperson Leslie Aun.

Earth Hour: Energy Saver?

While Earth Hour is important as a symbolic gesture, it would be even more valuable if the energy savings of the event were known, said Mary-Elena Carr, associate director of the Columbia Climate Center in New York City.

"The issue is whether it goes beyond a 'really cool' event and leads to anything tangible," Carr said.

"If there was an idea of how much energy was being saved, people could take measures to lower their energy use in a systematic and practical way."

Unlike in previous years, WWF is not releasing energy-savings estimates for this year's Earth Hour.

"We think the value of Earth Hour is the lights going off," WWF's Aun said, "not the energy savings."

 
Is anyone going to do this with me?
Only one hour!
Come on ya guys...