"A sense of purpose surged through my finger as I reached for the light switch to darken the long-life bulbs in my bedroom," The Globe's Tenille Bonoguore writes in a story to be published this Saturday in the GlobeT.O. section of the newspaper.
"It felt like a moment deserving of capital letters. This was Earth Hour (in rehearsal) and This Would Count.
"A flick of the wrist and it was done. I grinned, chest puffing out with a modicum of self-congratulation. A moment later, I was still standing in my darker bedroom, only now I was squinting in the twilight. I waited one more heartbeat in case the angels' chorus was taking a while to reach Parkdale.
"Alas, no: Just the echo of my own rapidly deflating expectations.
The Globe's Tenille Bonoguore (Deborah Baic)
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"The late-dusk light slunk into the room, cast a sheepish glance around and started dawdling back outside to join the night, leaving a mild sense of urgency in its wake. Nothing was prepared. There weren't more than a couple of decorative candles and some half-used tea lights scattered throughout the house, and the light with which to find them was scampering for the hills."
And with that, Ms. Bonoguore began her training run for Earth Hour.
What began in Sydney, Australia, last year has now swept (parts of) the globe, and is being called both a global phenomenon and a shiny gimmick, a chance to reach the unconverted and just another reason to party.
More than 55,000 people and 150 communities across Canada have leapt on board, pledging to turn off or dim their lights from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. local times Saturday in a show of conservationist solidarity.
On Saturday, the GlobeT.O. section of the newspaper explores the pros and cons of Earth Hour, recounts the rest of Ms. Bonoguore's no-power test-drive for the occasion and gives readers 60 things to do with their 60 minutes.
Ms. Bonoguore was online earlier today to discuss Earth Hour, the idea of pop-environmentalism, and to share your ideas and plans for the big night.
After all, what Canadian could resist an event with the acronym of "EH"?
Your questions and Ms. Bonoguore's answers appear at the bottom of this page.
Tenille Bonoguore traded sunny Australia for unpredictable Canada in 2006 — a move that excites and confounds her depending on the weather.
She wrote news stories for The Globe and Mail before being appointed national news reporter for globeandmail.com, and can attest that parliamentary Question Period feels much the same world-over.
She now writes news features for GlobeT.O., the print edition's weekly Toronto section.
Editor's Note: globeandmail.com editors will read and allow or reject each question. Questions may be edited for length, clarity or relevance. HTML is not allowed. We will not publish questions that include personal attacks on participants in these discussions, that make false or unsubstantiated allegations, that purport to quote people or reports where the purported quote or fact cannot be easily verified, or questions that include vulgar language or libellous statements. Preference will be given to readers who submit questions/comments using their full name and home town, rather than a pseudonym.
Jim Sheppard: Good morning, Tenille, and thanks for joining us today to take questions from the readers of globeandmail.com.
I'm sure many of them, like me, are looking forward to reading your full reports in tomorrow's Globe. If it isn't giving away too much, can I start by asking you what you plan to do tomorrow during Earth Hour?
Tenille Bonoguore: Hi, Jim. It's good to be back on the Web.
Like many people, my house lights will be off, as will everything but the fridge (which is how my home is usually), but two things are out of my control: My friend's dance performance, which was scheduled far in advance of Earth Hour's rise to fame and admittedly is likely to benefit from at least some lighting; and my housemate.
I do plan to have a low-to-no-power Saturday, though, which readers can either view as a grand environmental effort, or a sneaky reason to sleep in.
Khalid Rahim, Scarborough, Ont.: We plan to pull the plug from the wall of our TV, DVD recorder, stereo, microwave and other appliances as they all leak electricity even in the "off" position. We're going to use a bulb to give enough light so not to bump into the furniture or break something.
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