Archive for March, 2009

Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007 when 2.2 million homes and businesses turned off their lights for an hour. Two years later the symbolic gesture drew the attention of world leaders as over 60 countries participated in the event. Hundreds of millions of people worldwide turned off lights for a full hour.

This was a 25 hour energy-saving campaign spreading the visual message around the world. Environmentalists say nations now have a mandate to tackle climate change.

The pictures are spectacular. Log on to any major online newspaper and take a look at the sights ranging from The Empire State Building in NYC; in San Francisco The Golden Gate Bridge and other major city landmarks were dark for an hour; the Parthenon Temple on Acropolis Hill in Greece; The Houses of Parliament and Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square in London; the Eiffel Tower where 20,000 bulbs illuminating the town went out; in Rome even St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican (along with the Coliseum) were turned off; the Giza Pyramids in Egypt; the Bird Nest stadium was darkened for an hour; the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue that watches over Rio de Janeiro, along with the beachfront of the Copacabana. And, of course, The Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge were darkened – the city where this all began.

Many people participated in their own special way - in Indonesia a candle message was constructed saying VOTE EARTH in the Jakarta business district. In Manila people held up their mobile phones and glow sticks in front of a huge globe that is normally illuminated. Others decided to “freeze their movement” for a few minutes in Beijing, China.

“Earth Hour has always been a positive campaign,” said Earth Hour executive director Andy Ridley. “It’s always around street parties, not street protests, it’s the idea of hope, not despair. And I think that’s something that’s been incredibly important this year”

What a spectacular sight. And one of hope, not despair.

You can turn off your lights at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 28th and Vote Earth for Earth Hour 2009 – your light switch is your vote.

Over 84 countries, 6,299 organizations, 21,014 businesses, 8,742 schools, 2,848 cities and towns are switching off lights in their areas for one hour – 8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. across the globe.

By switching off lights for one hour people around the world you are voting to do something about global warming. The World Wildlife Fund is urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes. The results of the election will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009. These world leaders are being sent a message to take action against global warming.

You have an opportunity to use your light switch as your vote: simply turn off most of your lights for that one hour wherever you are. Restaurants are serving customers by candle light, buildings are turning off lights, community organizations around the world are getting behind the campaign: Sweden is ringing church bells, Sydney Ferries are sounding their horns, and The Scouts, the world’s largest youth movement with more than 28 million members in 160 countries are leading thousands of community groups around the world to mobilize their supporters for Earth Hour.

Some of the buildings that will be darkened are Harrah’s Hotel in Las Vegas, Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro; Opera House, Helsinki, Finland; Nelson’s column, Trafalgar Square, London; Clock Town, Manila, Philippines; Parliament House, Canberra, Australia; and 28 French cities will turn off lights including The Eiffel Tower. Beijing has already rehearsed Earth Hour and will put the famous Bird’s Nest Stadium, the Water Cube and Pangu Plaza into darkness.

You can show your support by visiting the World Wildlife Fund website or just simply searching for Earth Hour. Your kids could have fun mobilizing their school by downloading banners, posters, stickers and getting online badges. And, of course, participating at 8:30 p.m. this Saturday.

Earth Hour: Your light switch is your vote.

This is the second part of my blog on how to plan a low cost wedding. It is too easy to lose sight of the main goal of the wedding – you. When asked what our “theme” is, my fiancé and I say “us.”

Negotiate with vendors. In this economy you have the perfect opportunity to negotiate. Your vendors want to charge top dollar because many couples will simply pay it. Don’t settle for “package deals” that include items you don’t want. For example, photographers will usually add on very expensive wedding albums and engagement sessions. Also watch photographers that force you to buy prints through their website. You could be charged $10 each for 4×6 prints you can order yourself for $0.85. Watch for hidden costs and make sure you understand the entire deal before you buy.

Get creative with gift giving. It may not be traditional to ask for cash as a wedding gift, but instead of registering for things you may not need, consider registering for larger token items. Many websites allow you to register for items such as your honeymoon rental car, your wedding photo album, or even contributions to a down payment on a house.

Remember, you do not have to stick with any tradition. Use the music, the food, and the atmosphere to give your guests a true taste of who you are, and it will be a memorable experience, no matter how much money you spend.

Enjoy!

Planning a wedding can be a very stressful endeavor, especially in this economy. Adding the word “wedding” to almost anything seems to immediately double the quoted price. I have been sticker shocked more times than I can count throughout my wedding planning process this year. Below are a few things I have learned that may help cut costs and in my next blog I will provide a few more helpful hints.

Think outside the box. Get creative. For example, instead of having your wedding at a hotel where they control the catering and charge you a per-head alcohol cost, maybe have an outdoor wedding at a private residence or venue that you rent, where you can control the costs. You can hire a less expensive caterer that you choose, and buy your alcohol in bulk.
What is most important to you on your wedding day? It is easy to get caught up and begin to strive unnecessarily for perfection. Ask yourself, what do I want out of my wedding day? For me, I want to have a day where I can have fun and connect with my friends and family, not give them the prefect meal or show them my decorating ability. Pick what is important to you and keep that in mind throughout the process.

Don’t get caught up in details. Most people at weddings don’t talk about the centerpieces, the token guest gifts, or the great the wall decorations. If you’re keeping costs law, try to keep it simple. With simplicity, you can really showcase your personality. Maybe use pictures of the bride and groom or family members as centerpieces, or simply a candle with flower petals. Use the money instead for vendors you really care about. For example I want amazing pictures more than amazing flowers.

Remember most importantly that your wedding is about you.

You may have read that Social Networks are now more popular than email.  It’s hard to believe – seems we all have so much email to deal with, how can Facebook and the like be more popular than email.  But apparently a new report by Nielsen claims that Social Networks and blogs are now the fourth most popular online activity. 

And Social Networks are not just for kids any more. In fact Facebook’s biggest growth has been coming from people aged 35-49 – hardly the college kid demographics that launched the popular site.

Perhaps what was of most interest is that time spent on Social Networks and blogs is growing at over 3x the rate of overall Internet growth. What are all these people doing – catching up, finding old boyfriends and girlfriends? Looking for a job? Posting pictures of themselves on their travels and of their family? Poking? Who has the time? 

A lot of people apparently – 45 billion minutes between December 2007 and December 2008 was spent on Member Community sites!!

So as a final thought, as it is apparent we are all spending time on these social networks, when you do poke a friend use it sparingly…it can be considered a little irritating (or perverse if you over do it). Wall to wall is pretty public so remember that – you can always send a message as opposed to posting your back and forth commentary for multitudes to read, and watch who you let become your friend.  If you don’t recognize them learn more before you agree. If you do agree, and then change your mind, you can always delete them as a friend and no message will be sent to them.