'Earth Hour' or '60 Minutes of Pretending to Care'

So at this point in time Earth Hour has come and gone. For the most part, I really don't have a problem with 'going green' and doing what you can to help the environment: I actually think that it's a great idea to get out there and actually do a little good for the world, and if you're one of the few people that actually manage to stay 'green' all year long instead of just on certain days, then I fully congratulate and look up to you, because in all seriousness you're a better person than I am (try as I might to do my part, I'm still addicted to Tim Hortons, who's cups are slowly but surely clogging up our landfills).

But ANYWAYS on with Earth Hour: the problem that I had with it this year is that for whatever reason, someone over at EH thought that it would be a good idea to go with a gimmick as a weak attempt to try and get more people interested and involved. This year, the catch to Earth Hour was that if you turned your lights off, that would count as a 'vote' towards saving the earth, but if you left your lights on, that would be a vote for 'global warming'. At the end of Earth Hour, the results would then be taken to the Global Climate Change Conference in December 2009, and shown to all the worlds leaders to try and spark some sort of global green initiative.

Now, because of 'liberal media' and Al Gore, we all know that global warming is not a good thing. Whether or not we agree that it exists is still up for debate, but for the most part the majority of the population knows that it isn't something we want. Playing on this general knowledge, the EH folks thought that their whole 'voting' gimmick would work wonders and get billions of people around the world to turn off their lights.

NOTE: NEVER go with a gimmick. Ever.

Now, the results (as far as I can tell) are not online. I've looked on various websites and there are no concrete numbers showing whether or not Earth Hour actually did any good, and if mother earth 'won' against Global Warming. You have to wonder if this lack of information means that Global Warming really did win...

Whether or not this lame attempt at making Eco-friendliness commercial is exactly what I hate about the ever-popular green movement: Like I mentioned early, I hold high respects for those certain individuals who really, honestly care about the earth, and do everything in their power to make it a cleaner and better place. What I don't like however, is the fact that this has become a trend, and a part of pop-culture.

When did it suddenly become 'hip' and 'young' and 'trendy' to pick up trash and actually care about our planet? Have you noticed how it's considered cool to drive a hybrid car and use cloth shopping bags instead of plastic ones? Have you taken a look at the sale of 'organically made' clothing or 'fair trade' outfits? Or what about the fact that people are using phrases like 'Carbon Footprint' but don't have the slightest idea what they actually mean?! I don't like that caring about the earth has become commercial, and just another trend that in a few months, years, etc is going to fall by the wayside and die just like the other trends of past decades. Saving the planet is supposed to be something that's sold in magazines and on tv: it's a responsibility that every person on earth should have to bear. Sometimes it's not fun, and it's definitely not easy, but if we're going to actually save the earth, we have to stop jumping on the electrically fueled, 100% bio-degradable bandwagon and start seriously caring about this, and not think of it as just another way to be cool.