Earth Hour 2015 will take place tomorrow (Mar 28). The annual global event encourages individuals, households and businesses to turn off their lights and other electrical devices from 8:30-9:30pm to show their commitment to the planet, and presumably to tell Thomas Edison to suck it for his energy-wasting invention.
Although the intention of the gimmick is somewhat noble – that is, to offer short-term reductions on power consumption while raising awareness about environmental issues – it likely won't make a long-lasting impact, especially here in Bangkok where you can get a plastic bag just for purchasing a pack of gum.
Local authorities have launched Earth Hour campaigns such as encouraging people to ride bikes, tree-planting activities and promoting green trends, but perhaps we need more incentives to get motivated beyond one hour of turning the lights off.
Here are eight ways we can be more eco-friendly in everyday life, which will not only benefit the planet but our own interests as well:
1. Encourage your employers to turn off some of the glaring fluorescent bulbs at the office. Not only will it help conserve energy and save your company some money, but it will also prevent co-workers from commenting on how tired/sleepy/fatigued you look under the harsh light.
2. Launch a citywide crusade to get street vendors to stop packing to-go food in plastic bags. Besides the fact that plastic is non-biodegradable and cannot be broken down naturally, it will spare everyone from breaking their fingernails when they attempt to untie the rubber bands tightly wound around the bags.
3. Keep your TV turned off all the time. You'll lower your electricity bills and save energy. Plus, are you really missing anything by not watching silly lakorn or hearing Gen Prayut yell at everyone during his weekly address to the nation?
4. Parking lots really need to stop handing out paper tickets to each driver that passes through. Surely there must be a better system (perhaps a reusable card?), and we'll never have to worry about misplacing that flimsy piece of paper again.
5. Going to the bathroom is one of the greatest joys in life. However, with the amount of spice, fermented food and alcohol in the Thai diet, perhaps we're overusing the potty too much. We can save water on flushing and bum gun usage if we just tweak our eating/drinking habits a bit, and preserve our stomach in the process.
6. It's time to accept that clothing should be optional here. The intense heat causes malls, offices and places like the BTS/MRT to crank up the air-con, resulting in a wasteful environment. However, if we could just walk around scantily clad, we wouldn't need to find a place to cool off. (Although no word if this tactic will cause sales of whitening cream to rise exponentially.)
7. Unplug yourself from your computer and smartphone for a few hours a day. Not only is this the perfect way to avoid your boss or pestering clients, but you'll also save financially and mentally.
8. Do you complain about being stuck in the car for hours? Do you also drive your own personal vehicle everywhere? Well, that makes you part of the problem too! Maybe it's time to familiarise yourself with public transportation and leave your car at home as much as you can. Besides easing air pollution, we can't imagine a more perfect planet than one where traffic doesn't exist.