I thought my eyes were deceiving me, or that my computer had decided to go into ‘meltdown mode’, when I saw the Google homepage early this morning. Had I have been running Windows (any version) I would have reached for my installation CD and reloaded it! This was a common occurrence until I switched to Linspire. My Windows XP install CD was getting worn out, and seemed to spend most of its time in my CD ROM.

So I ruled out the possibility of this being a computer glitch, maybe I had just gone blind? But that was not the case, the TV seemed OK. Ha, I said to myself, it must be Google, it must be broke! This seemed a logical, but unlikely solution to the problem.

On closer inspection of the ‘broken’ page I noticed that it was not broken at all, it was another Google adventure into the uncharted waters that they love to sail in, they are celebrating Earth Hour. I am not quite sure if they have targeted just Canada, or if this is a worldwide ‘lights out’.

The message though is a good one, the ecosystem is strained, we are consuming non replaceable energy and other resources at an alarming rate. If we all did just a little to conserve we would be so much better off. Oil is $107 a barrel, the ozone layer is depleted, large ’state sized’ chunks of polar ice are breaking off, and the rain forests are shrinking at an alarming rate. Global warming seems to be a huge problem everywhere except Calgary, it’s still colder than an ice box! I jest, even here we are seeing the results, without the snow we deplete the water table and that directly affects the ability to grow crops.

I know that there are enough resources for my lifetime, and my children’s, but what will the world be like when our children are grandparents?

Today is the day to make a small change, do a Google and switch a light off for an hour.

Simon Barrett

http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com