Feel the change around us
Like thousands of families across Canada – and millions around the world in over 135 countries – my kids, husband and I spend Saturday night celebrating Earth Hour together.
We’ve been taking part in the event ever since it started in 2007. Three years ago we even held our eldest daughter’s 10th birthday party by candlelight during Earth Hour, taking her friends door to door to talk to neighbours about turning off their lights.
But this Earth Hour was our most special by far. Olivia, Sophie, Len and I joined WWF’s gathering in Toronto’s Distillery District – and it was an evening crackling with pure optimism. As WWF-Canada’s president and CEO, Gerrald Butts, told the enthusiastic crowd: “When we get together and talk about problems – even complex ones like climate change – we can find solutions.”
My daughter, Sophie Tralla, 9-years-old, at the Toronto Earth Hour event this year. (C) Katie Edmonds, WWF-Canada
One of the highlights of the evening was the amazing light art show by Jerrum Lynch (powered 100 per cent by Bull Frog) projected on the old exposed brick buildings surrounding the crowd, with images of flickering candles and messages like “Save the Planet” illuminating the darkness.
Projection artist Jerrum Lynch putting on a show for the Toronto crowd. (C) James Carpenter, WWF-Canada
But the real magic of the night came when musician/singer/songwriter, Andrew Huang, and Choir!Choir!Choir! led us through a sing-a-long of the infectious Team Earth Hour Anthem. There’s nothing like huddling up against family and strangers on a crisp dark night and belting out lyrics like, “We can feel the change around us / my bit is part of making a difference” over and over to ignite your spirits.
Early in the evening, Nobu Adilman, of Choir!Choir!Choir! who led the sing-a-long event, had said, “Hey, if this goes well, we could have Earth Week.” Bring it on! I think we all left the event feeling like we want to take more than one hour to remind ourselves of how precious our planet is – and much its worth protecting.
TIP: The infectious Team Earth Hour Anthem will soon be available for download on iTunes with all proceeds going to WWF. Watch for it.