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This year again I will be taking part in the ‘Earth Hour’, which happens this Saturday between 8.30 and 9.30. However, as I will be working, I have decided to get the restaurant where I work involved and I will be turning of the lights in the room for an hour. I’ve put up a poster to explain the reasons why I participate to this global event and I hope it will be welcome by customers.
There is much debate about the benefits of such an event. Of course, it is daily changes that really make a real difference and the ‘Earth Hour’ shouldn’t be seen as a way of clearing up one’s conscience. However, I believe that the ‘Earth Hour’ is a good way to pass on a message and also to become conscious about the fact that we can make a difference.
Last year, I was happy about what it had done for me. Indeed, I used the hour thinking about the changes I could make in my daily life in order to respect the environment a bit more. A year later, I’m glad to say that I have stuck to these little changes and I try to always do a bit more.
Now, if I participate to the event, it is more in a symbolic way, but also in order to convince other people to make these little changes that can make a difference.
There’s me walking to the shop with my little bag picking up rubbish on my way (this is my new little bit to make the world a better place). They are still building in the estate and one of the builders was there cleaning up his car. As you might expect he threw his bag of rubbish above the fence on the building site…
I couldn’t keep quiet obviously:
– Did you just throw a bag of rubbish?
– Ah! It will be buried tomorrow…
– That’s not the point and by then the wind will have blown it in the estate
– Go away!
– I LIVE HERE AND I WANT TO KEEP THE PLACE CLEAN!
Is it just a lost battle? I don’t know, but I’ll keep doing my little bits. Hopefully, next time he will be ready to throw a bag of rubbish, he will remember the mental girl and keep it until he gets home to put it in a bin.
The 1st of May has come, and as every year, I will miss the ‘muguet’ or Lily of the valley.
The first of May is ‘la Fête du travail’ in France, the equivalent of ‘labour day’. It is a bank holiday that has its origin in workers’ revendications for the eight-hour working day. In France, it has become a day where nobody works, except for ‘muguet’ sellers! In my opinion, it’s a very depressing day, there isn’t a shop or café opened (maybe it has changed now), there is no public transport, but the worse is that all the streets are deserted. They are deserted, except by the independent sellers of ‘muguet’. Indeed, anyone is allowed to sell ‘muguet’ without any authorisation or without having to pay taxes on that day, so they are the only ones seen working.
If I don’t like the 1st of May, I do love Lily of the Valley. It is a symbol of the beginning of spring, but also of friendship and luck. And I must admit, I do miss that French tradition of offering it on the 1st of May. Strangely enough, I’ve never seen any in Ireland…
As we are talking about muguet, it would be difficult to avoid sharing with you that song that many French pupils had to learn in school, ‘Le Temps du Muguet’.
I was telling you about the ‘earth hour’. Although the project is more about awareness, it might be interesting to see if it has made a difference.
In terms of electricity consumption, the ‘earth hour’ in Ireland can be considered a success since the electricity use dropped by 1.5%, as this RTE article highlights. Some businesses actually got involved in the event and I believe they are the ones who can make a difference. Hopefully next year will be even better. Most importantly though, it should help people realise that day to day savings can also make a difference for the environment. Little things add up…
On another level, I found that the ‘earth hour’ was real quality time. I was a bit extreme and even unplugged the fridge, as a result the place was in total silence. I found that it gave me time to enjoy deep thinking without the distractions of modern life, and it’s something I will now do on a regular basis. I was talking to someone who told me she got to know her children during this hour. She actually got to talk to them and discovered more about them. This says a lot about our modern life. It seems that we have actually lost touch with the important things of life, starting with people around us, because we are too distracted by the modern world. Maybe it’s about time to realise that we should slow down a bit!
Therefore, from personal experience, I think the ‘earth hour’ has been a success. I hope more people will become aware about the impact electricity (since in this case it is limited to that) has, not only on the environment, but on our lives. I’m not talking about regressing, but maybe about learning to reach a better balance.
Et un sourire
La nuit n’est jamais complète
Il y a toujours, puisque je le dis
Puisque je l’affirme
Au bout du chagrin
Une fenêtre ouverte
Une fenêtre éclairée
Il y a toujours un rêve qui veille
Désir à combler, faim à satisfaire
Un coeur généreux
Une main tendue, une main ouverte
Des yeux attentifs
Une vie, la vie à se partager.
Paul Eluard (Le Phénix, 1951)
And a smile
Night is never total There is always, since I say it Since I affirm it At the end of sorrow An open window A lit window There is always a dream that remains Desire to fulfil, hunger to satisfy A generous heart A hand held out, a hand open Attentive eyes A life, life to be shared. (my own translation)
This is my favourite poem. I find it beautiful, filled with hope, love, and compassion. For me, it represents a lot of things that tend to be forgotten in our modern society. People do not seem to take the time to smile anymore, they are so much in a hurry that they do not pay attention to all the little details that could make them smile during their day. Stop for a minute, look around you, and appreciate. There are still so many simple pleasures in this world, but they are missed on. Why make everything so complicated? Take a deep breath and smile!
I tend to make this my philosophy of life, and it is extremely satisfying! I wake up in the morning and look at the green hills at the back of the houses across the street. I go to the shop and exchange a few words with the shopkeeper. On my way back home, I smile to the passer-bys, and sometimes they even smile back or say ‘hello’. At work, I try to care and to connect with people. And finally, at the end of the day, I think about what made me smile, what positive details happened during the day, and I smile!
