Earth Hour To Feature Outer Darkness, Wailing, Gnashing of Teeth

 SEATTLE, WA - This year's Earth Hour offers a new wrinkle, asking everyone to 'go beyond the hour' and spend 120 minutes outside in a dark place, wailing and gnashing their teeth. "There's something very poetic about that," said Mila Husting, a local Earth Hour organizer. The global event, scheduled for March 26 at 8:30 PM local time, has traditionally asked individuals and businesses to switch off all lights for one hour to signify awareness of global warming. But Hustings felt the action too tame and safe. "We want everyone experiencing the same anguish as our planet."

After stressing the need for participants to dress sensibly for local conditions, Husting conceded that two hours was a long time to wail. "We've held several workshops and people run out of gas quickly. That's why we've including Earth Sayings." Hustings explained that 'Earth Sayings' were proactive statements the earth would utter if it could talk during Earth Hour. The activities are ways to 'green up' a local environment. The idea is for participants to wail a few minutes, cry out an Earth Saying, perform the suggested action, then return to wailing. Earth Saying examples include:

"Owww, electric light hurts my eyes. Someone please break that street lamp."

"My earth skin hurts from coal mining. Dig a hole right here, right now and relieve the pressure with a potted plant."

"My earth tummy is full from so much trash. Please take other people's garbage home with you and make it taste good for me. Collect some now."

"And let's not forget teeth gnashing," added Hustings. "Many people just go 'grrrr' like a dog with a rag. We're asking everyone to really grind their teeth in rage and anguish—unless they have loose dentures or a note from a dentist."

Hustings felt it could take years for this form of 'green empathy' to catch on. "There's an initial fear of appearing silly and odd. But once we assure people they're saving the planet by sitting in the dark and baying like mourners at a Chinese funereal then they dive in big time." (Image: Earth Hour)