http://www.care2.com/greenliving/7-things-to-do-in-the-dark.html
7 Things to do in the Dark
Millions of people in more than 88 countries turned off their lights for an hour on Saturday, March 28th as the world joined Earth Hour’s global call for action on climate change. Even the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, the Great Pyramids of Giza and Chicago’s iconic skyline went dark for the hour. But just because Earth Hour has passed, it doesn’t mean that you can’t find another hour this week to conserve electricity, stem global warming and make a statement of your own. Here are our suggestions for fun ways to spend an hour – or more – in the dark.
For starters, grab a few candles (preferably soy) and:
Get amorous – Spend some quality time with your significant other and enjoy giving each other massages, trying something tantric or making love by candlelight. The added benefit (as if you needed one?), it’s good for you!
Enjoy dinner by candlelight – Prepare the food beforehand, or go with simple, no-cook finger foods. For a special touch, add flowers to the table and serve chocolates for dessert. Yum!
Take a bubble bath – Who doesn’t love a long, luxurious soak in a bath…and what better time to take advantage of some quiet time with candles? Admit it, just thinking about it makes you feel good!
Meditate – An hour of darkness is a great opportunity to tune out the rest of the world and go within. Find a comfortable space in your home and spend some time in meditation - it’s good for you and good for the planet. (Just be careful if you still have candles burning!)
An hour with the lights out also means that it’s a great time to get outside and:
Gaze at the stars – Whether in the city or the country, take a walk outside and see how many constellations you can spot. Maybe you’ll even catch a shooting star!
Take a moonlit walk – With the new moon on March 26th, only a sliver of the moon - a waxing crescent moon - is visible now but it could still be great to get outside in the night air, take the dog for a walk, and search for the crescent in the night sky.
Prefer a group activity? Gather some friends together and have an Earth Hour party - inside or outside. Create your own Earth Hour cocktails, have some fun with cheese or chocolate fondue (only tea light candles required), break out the board games or musical instruments, or even attempt charades by candlelight. The more creative you get, the better the party! And, you might even want to try it again next Saturday night - any excuse for a party, right?
Too many options for one hour? Consider extending it to two or three! Now that we’ve shared our ideas, we’d love to know, how did you spend Earth Hour? And will you’ll be making this a regular habit - perhaps even an hour a week?
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20 comments
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Kabin
Konteyner
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why is this inappropriate?
I agree with Bobby J.( comment 31 March) Solar power systems must be installed by law to all new homes, factories, malls etc. being built from now on. Governments must assist/subsidise the costs - cheaper for all in the long run, and helping to save the planet.
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I learned about it too late but since it was a Saturday night,I was busy with my usual ritual dance anyway & had, as usual, only candle light with it. Only downside: I had the computer running with my music.
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I wrpte letters by the light of a hand-cranked flashlight. Does anyone else write letters? They're a fine substitute for emails- a far more thoughtful and personal mode of communication. People seem addicted to time-saving devices so that the next chore can be dealt with electronically. Let's savour our moment. They are limited and precious.
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Why aren't all new homes being built with a windmill and solar panels? It would be much cheaper and simpler than overhauling our entire power grid also our power supply (as a whole) would not be as susceptible to natural disasters and terrorist attacks.
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and you probably knew about today, you felt me, you felt my feelings
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get amourous, yes i like it! no LOVE it!!
remember with twins we can always feel everything the other is doing,
i knew on sunday morning something...i could feel it.
x
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the wonderful experience candles offer is more powerful when burning only 1 at a time. that's all it takes. really.
and, Love is still the answer
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why is this inappropriate?
The whole idea of the "dark hour" is to call attention to global warming (although I prefer to call it climate change), and environmental degradation. So should we turn off even the headlamps and also forgo the candles? We sat outside in the dark & watch the early evening stars. We had so much fun we stayed a few hours.
On a different note, in many beach towns around the world they have Full Moon Parties, and not all of them are wild and drug ridden ;-) I've been to several where people sang, drank and joked with their friends, and just had a great time. I miss those times.
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I too flipped off my main breaker. I spent the hour curled up reading by candle and oil lamp light. I thoroughly enjoyed it and plan to make a habit of doing it on more of a regular basis.
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