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Lights Out: March 28 Is National Earth Hour

According to the American Almanac, Americans consume 26 percent of the world's energy even though they are accounting for only 5 percent of the world's population. On Saturday, March 28, 2009, National Earth Hour (Earthhour.org) invites people around the world to turn off their lights for one hour from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. in their local time zone. On this day, cities around the world, including Copenhagen, Chicago, Melbourne, Dubai and Tel Aviv, will hold events to acknowledge their commitment to energy conservation.

ChicagoHealers.com practitioner Dr. Martha Howard says that in the electronic world, people receive too little natural light during the day and too much artificial light at night. This is not only an issue for the Earth, but also an issue for a person's health.

"Too little sunlight causes low levels of vitamin D and our bodies need at least 20 minutes of natural light per day," says Dr. Howard. "We even get in the habit of turning lights on during the day when sitting by the window would offer the same amount of light. We need to take advantage of natural light during the day and save power moving forward."

Dr. Howard provides the following tips to prepare for Earth Hour:

  • Light Bright – The best power-saving bulbs are the compact fluorescent kind called CFL bulbs. These bulbs, which are ideal for day and night, cut the amount of watts used down to a fraction of the power used by the old fashioned incandescent light bulbs. A 22-watt CFL provides as much light as a 100-watt incandescent.
  • Night Light – At night, many need to be in total darkness to get the best sleep. Too much light disrupts sleep patterns by disturbing melatonin production. Dr. Howard suggests practicing "evening power-saving" by turning off all lights, including the low watt CFL bulbs, when heading to bed. A great way to block out light from street lights and other outdoor lights is to use using room-darkening shades in the bedroom.
  • Cancel the Candles – Stay away from candles for Earth Hour as they are too much of a fire hazard. They also use up indoor oxygen and are easy to forget to blow out before bed. If you have to move around during Earth Hour, use a small keychain LED flashlight to light your way.

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