It's Earth Hour on 31 March 2012, and it's just gone 8:30pm. The lights have gone out, so it is a romantic candle lit dinner for one in a Beijing restaurant. (Not a problem; I enjoy my own company!) But Beijing ... a city where the many critics of China will naturally assume they wouldn't pay the slightest attention to the idea of conserving energy. But oh no! Think again. There is hardly a light in sight other than candles and my unfriendly iPad - or none that I can see anyway - although in an attempt to keep the food cooked there is some oven light. And interestingly, the noise level has dropped. The traditionally raucous restaurant has conversations taking place in hushed undertones.
I am pleasantly surprised, and wonder what other cities are doing - both in China and outside. And what this exercise,this global initiative, well-meaning as it may be, is actually achieving. An increased level of awareness about energy conservation? Maybe. A permanent change in behaviour? Probably not. At least not yet!
In the West - yes, maybe there is a greater awareness of the damage that the lack of environmental control can bring - although I still see little evidence of it being practiced in some places, unless we run events like this on a regular basis as a reminder.
It is a little like people going on a diet and once they have lost the weight they wanted to, then saying to themselves that they have achieved their objectives, and going back to their previous eating habits. The lights switched off tonight - most especially in homes and in empty office buildings, will undoubtedly be on again tomorrow night.
China has pollution problems, as does Hong Kong (semantics - I KNOW it is a part of China), but I am also increasingly convinced that they are becoming more and more aware of the problems. Taking the whole issue seriously, and believing that "education" is part of the solution to the problem.
Certainly tonight, in my part of Beijing anyway, the hour has been fully embraced, and I mean fully - although now the lighting has returned to normal I guess I might have avoided those foods splashes on my shirt if I could have seen what I was doing - but then again, maybe not!
I hope the laundry process, especially the stain remover, is environmentally friendly!!
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