Tuesday, October 9, 2007

UNPLUG 2007: October 13th Give Mother Earth a Rest!

Although this falls on Eid - which requires (usually) driving to prayer - there are still many things we can do to "unplug" for the day.
  1. Unplug and don't use your TV or computer for the day.
  2. Try to unplug as many non-essential items as you can (lamps, appliances, cell phone chargers, etc). From the Dept of Energy website - "In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off."
  3. Carpool to Eid prayer.
  4. Walk to your neighbor's house when visiting them for Eid.
From the website:
The "Unplug America" campaign was introduced by Indigenous Peoples in 1992 in response to the 500 year anniversary of the arrival of Columbus to the Americas. October 13, 1992 was designated as a starting point to look forward to the next 500 years and work to make a sustainable and just world, starting by giving Mother Earth a rest!

Unplug Day is an invitation to all people to show our love and respect for Mother Earth by challenging unhealthy patterns of consumption and the continued production of poisons that destroy our environment. October 13th is a day to unplug - turn off the TV and radio, shut off the taps, and leave the fossil-fuel burning vehicle at home! Instead, take a walk with friends and family, tell stories, do something artistic, and say a prayer for Mother Earth and our communities. It's only one day but also a fist step in reducing our carbon footprint, exploring consumer choices and ways of life that are more healthy and sustainable, and acting for future generations!

Visit htttp://www.ipetitions.com/petition/unplug_day to let us know what you plan to do for Unplug Day!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

What if your electricity is generated using a renewable source? Or is this for just for the fossil fuel folks?

Just a suggestion that some people may not be aware of but your local electricity provider probably has a green options. Here in Indy we have an option to switch to 100% green. Good thing too cause Indy gets alot of its energy through burning coal…which is not a good thing. Energy used by home owners is the second or third (can’t remember) largest contributor to climate change.

Turning off, and refraining from fossil fuel sources is a good step. I would ask those who are not already doing so to check out if your energy provider has a green option.

Sanjana said...

I think its mostly for the fossil fuel folks, but good for everyone to try (since even renewable electricity generation can still have a (small) carbon footprint).

Check the DOE website to see if you have green power available in your area.

If you don't, you can purchase a renewable energy certificate - basically a way to subsidize green power generation, from what I understand. You're not using green power directly but it's more like a zakat on your electricity use, as my dad says (I purchased RECs for my parents home electricity use last year).