DanielYKL

I thought I was going to have a short nap late this afternoon, but that nap lasted for more than two good hours. By the time I woke up it was around 8.00pm! If it was not for the hunger, I would have slept through I guess.  And the first thing on my mind was - Earth Hour!And the second thing was - pizza!

So I quickly washed up and switched off the lights in house and went out for my dinner, and to check how well did Penangites respond to Earth Hour.

The first thing I saw as I stepped out form my house was that my next door neighbour’s house was completely “black” and so was the one directly opposite. I was so glad that some houses in my neighbourhood had their lights off! I estimated that at least 30-40% of the houses around my area responded. I said 30 -40% because some houses have their house lights dimmed and some switched off the lights in the house s but left their gates or porch lights on (I guess it’s because they feel safer with a bit of lights around the house). Well, at least they participate.

And to see how the rest of Penang is doing (kay po), I drove down to Gurney Drive.  Coffee Bean, Starbucks, Dome, Pizza Hut, a Japanese restuarant - Yataimura, Berjaya Hotel, G Hotel and few others went partially dark. Even the hawker’s centre along Gurney Drive went dark. But then I was surprised to see MacDonald’s, Dominos and KFC fully lighted. *sigh* And so was the 24hrs mamak shops and the chinese coffee shops. I guess business to them is more important to them than climate change!

Well, I’m sure other hotels and establishments in Penang went dark. I heard the Penang bridge and Komtar went “black.” And so did the colonial buildings along the Espanade.

Did we do well? Did we get the message across against climate change? Are the people aware of global warming? Was the event a success or just meaningless?

By 9.30pm, lights are back everywhere. And I went for my pizza!

Earth Hour and Pizza!