Did you turn out your lights?

Last night, according to Earth Hour's 2009 Kids Page, more than a billion of us turned out our lights. That's about one-seventh of the world's 6.7 billion people. Were you among us?

Here in San Francisco, we enjoyed a late supper and a full hour of uninterrupted conversation in our cool, darkened rooms.

[Image from Earth Hour Kids home page]

Disappointingly, about the same number of windows in our neighborhood were dark as last year.

Mayor Gavin Newsom helped to dim the city's nightscape when he yanked the switches for the Bay Bridge and Coit Tower. Thank you, Mayor, for your support of Earth Hour 2009! I'll hold you to your Twitter DM today to help push SF Earth Hour viral on the web in 2010.

Cities and hamlets around the world dimmed their lights, from tiny Igiugig, Alaska, to Beijing. For an impressive show of lights going out, watch the Earth Hour 2009 slide show.

There's still time to turn this symbolic act into concrete action. Aside from votes, nothing sounds so sweet to a politician as a thank you. Take time to thank the pols in your city who supported Earth Hour and encourage them to make their town even darker for one hour next year. Public opinion matters, too, so take advantage of this opportunity to write to President Obama and tell him how important climate change is to you and your family.

Remember how the video in yesterday's post, Lights Out--Earth Hour 2009, began with a single voice saying, "I'm just one person," quickly multiplied by hundreds of voices all chanting "I'm just one person"?

Remember how big (and annoying) the sound of those voices became?

That's how climate change works: Each of us contributing carbon emissions through our quick trips to the grocery store, lights and heat on in rooms we're not using, extra gas use from low tires and poorly tuned engines.

So you're just one person. Instead of one person adding to carbon emissions, be one person reducing them. The World Wildlife Fund has eight quick actions you can pick from right now.

We can all make small changes, one person, one minute, one hour a time. That's exactly how we are building a world more like the Village of Ordinary.

Lights out--Earth Hour 2009!

Tonight's the night! All over the world, at 8:30 pm, wherever they are, people are turning off their lights for 60 minutes.

Why? We're showing in the most dramatic way possible our support for protecting the Earth.

One person committed to reducing energy consumption can make a difference, but millions working together can change the world.

Earth Hour 2009

We're dimming the Earth's artificial lights for one hour around the globe. Watch as it happened last year and see how beautiful darkness can be:



Are your favorite celebs turning out their lights? Learn who has their finger on the switch at Earth Hour US. Watch the slide show of cities dimming their lights all over the world and find links to other participating countries. Got kids? Now's the time to find creative ways to show them how human beings managed without electricity, planes, cars and phones until the last century. Earth Hour Kids has some great ideas and loads of fun-filled facts.

Are you turning out your lights tonight? Tell us why in the comments below and Sign up and be counted! If you're reading this after the event in your locale, tell us what you observed between 8:30 and 9:30 pm; and if you turned out your lights, how did you feel for that one hour?

Earth Hour 2009 is one small way we can all help to build the Village of Ordinary tonight. The Earth Hour Tool Box offers many more. Join us, won't you?