Earth Hour 2008 Takes Us To China and Brazil

What an enriching experience Earth Hour 2008 was. We knew well before Saturday evening what we'd be doing during the momentous hour of darkness. With 5 kids in tow, darkness on the horizon and 60 minutes of quality time on our hands, we couldn't leave the planning of this event up to circumstance, so we decided we'd spend the hour traveling the world.

We have already seen so much of the world thanks to the DVD collection of our local library. This Saturday we spent learning about the lives of 2 families in China. It was really interesting for us to learn how different the daily experiences of 2 families living in the same country could be. Our kids got the chance to see how other children in China prepare for school, and other daily tasks and chores. Having the opportunity experience life through the eyes of others always renews our appreciation for how blessed we are. It also reignites our burning desire to travel to these distant lands, and experience these wonderful cultures and peoples for ourselves.

Our last few minutes of the hour were spent traveling to Brazil, where we had the experience of boating through the Amazon, building a hut out of natural resources found in the forest, as well as swimming and feeding pink dolphins. The trip to Brazil included a breath taking hang-gliding adventure that we have already made a"must do" on our itinerary. Lisa's laptop battery died a few minutes after 9pm (you thought we were watching this on the TV, didn't you?) just before we made it to carnival. Probably best for the little ones, but you know mommy and daddy have got to check that out - It's definitely a "must do" on the agenda also.

So our first annual Earth Hour was a very fulfilling experience, and we're already looking forward to next year. It makes us wonder why we don't do this more often. With all the trouble our planet is in, we could afford to make a more consistent sacrifice. Tell us how you spent your Earth Hour, we'd love to hear about it.

Guest Posted by D.