Earth Day 2010

Yesterday was Earth Day 2010. Here in Israel, there were several special events.

One event was Earth Hour, when people were supposed to switch off their lights for one hour. We did this in Haifa from 20:20 to 21:20. The starting times for the different participating cities were staggered, to prevent sudden drops and surges in the power consumption. I read today that the city with the highest participation rate was Kfar Sava, where I used to live.

I have always been aware of environmental issues, and my lifestyle reflects this awareness. As reported in a previous post, I don't use a dishwasher, and I dry washing on the washing line. For many years I used only public transport, and even now that I have a car, I don't use it when I can walk, or when public transport makes more sense. I carry shopping in cloth shopping bags, and reuse or recycle paper, plastic bags, bottles and batteries. I am careful not to waste water and electricity.

I think the sparing use of earth's resources shows consideration for others and for future generations. Even people who are skeptical about the idea of global warming being caused by human activity can find other reasons to prefer a less polluting and less wasteful lifestyle.