Soon there will be much ballyhooing about Earth Hour and what a Great Thing™ switching lights off for an hour will be for Saving The Earth.

From what, I’m not certain.

Earth Hour is an opportunity for the global community to speak in one voice on the issue of climate change, while at the same time coming together in celebration of the one thing every single person on the planet has in common – the planet. -Andy Ridley, Earth Hour Executive Director

Whoop-de-doo.

Mostly, I think it means that everyone runs around in the dark for an hour. Then, miracle of miracles, the switch is flipped and the power grid falters for a split second.

This to me sounds like one of those school do-gooder 24-hours-of-hunger marathons, where, after the event concludes, the students get rewarded for their valiant effort at starvation imitation with a pizza and beer pop pig-out. Some gullible writer posts the event in the local paper and the entire 24 hours of starvation-imitation hardship and bravado is duly forgotten by one and all.

Does anyone ever tell these people that the millions starving somewhere over there don’t get to slop down the pizza and pop and then forget about the whole thing?

I thought not. Further, I’m certain the cooking fires don’t get dimmed either — unless the cooks have access to the power grid and an internet connection.