Forgive me, Mother Earth, for I have sinned.

From 8:30 to 9:30 PM on the 28^th of March, 2009, while countless other people in the same time zone as me switched off their lights to show their support in the fight against Climate Change, most of the lights in my own home were brightly lit.

My parents were enjoying a healthful dinner.

My brother was, as always, glued to the computer screen, playing games.

I, on the other hand, had decided to shut off my laptop, turn off my study lamp, retreat to my bedroom, shut off the light, and listen to music on my iPhone.

That was my Earth Hour. Far from the pitch black of other people’s homes.

I know there were many people who did switch off their bedroom lights—maybe even the lights throughout their homes—last night, but in their daily lives neglect the issue of Global Warming.

I’m proud to say that I try my best to fight Climate Change every day in every little way I can.

I may not have turned off all of my house’s lights tonight, but I’m still crusading against Climate Change.

Still, to my children, and my children’s children, and to my grandchildren’s grandchildren, accept my apologies. On the night of March 28^th, 2009, between 8:30 and 9:30 PM, I lacked the guts to even make my entire house go pitch black. Switching off my lights for 3,600 seconds was all I had to do to prove that I cared for you, but I couldn’t do even that.

Accept my apologies, too, on behalf of the people who may have shut down every electronic device they had and dimmed or turned off all of their lights, but who still leave trash on the sidewalk and use smokebelching vehicles everyday.

*****

The point of all this rambling is this: 8:30 to 9:30 PM on March 28, 2009 was Earth Hour, when people were encouraged to dim or turn off their lights as their vote for Mother Earth.

RJ Marmol put it best: this wasn’t an effort to save electricity, it was an effort to save Mother Earth.

And the effort to save Mother Earth doesn’t comprise entirely of flipping your lights off for one hour on just one day of the year. The effort to save Mother Earth is an unending process that needs as much participation as it can get—not just for one night, but for every day of our lives.

If you participated in Earth Hour—whether you participated by cutting off power to your entire house or just by shutting down your workstation—you have my deepest gratitude. But please, let every hour of our lives be Earth Hour, and every day be a day for the Earth.

Pick up that piece of paper on the curb.

Don’t toss that plastic bag anywhere but a garbage bin.

Tell your friend to stop using that gas-guzzling, smoke-belching SUV of his.

Ask your office management to cut down on electricity costs.

Flipping off your light switch is a start, but it isn’t enough.

Think about it this way: when you turned off your lights during Earth Hour last night, you ignited your Climate Change fighting-engine. Don’t ever let that lose power.

*****

My house may not have gone pitch black on the night of March 28.

But because I care for the generations that will follow—because I know they’re counting on us to make their world livable—because I know that their lives will depend on what we do or don’t do today—I strive to make every hour of my life an hour for Earth.

I hope you do the same.

[Photo credits: Hyperscholar]

When I started my first blog in late 2005, I was a loner in the blogosphere. Back then, I was in the sixth grade, had a lowly dial-up connection (“screech screech neenok-neenok, blippity bloppity — you are now connected to the Internet”, in case you’ve already forgotten), and didn’t know much about blog promotion. All I did was pour my thoughts into my little corner of the Interwebs and hope people would take notice (which they didn’t, LOL).

After creating countless blogs in WordPress.com, Blogger, i.ph, and a bunch of other blog hosts, I eventually stopped writing online when my parents decided to cut off our telephone subscription (along with our Internet connection). However, when in the summer of 2008 we finally got an Internet connection again, I decided to restart my blogging life. This time, with the explosion of such tools as Twitter, Facebook, Plurk and other social networking sites, it didn’t take me very long to connect with other bloggers from across the country and across the world.

I stumbled across an online community of Filipino bloggers—aptly called the Pinoy Blogosphere—and quickly subscribed to its mailing list. I found it an easy way to seek advise and help from other Pinoys who were much more experienced in blogging than me. Much more than that, many members of PBS became my online friends. We networked and socialized online (if spending hours on end in front of a computer screen can be called socialization).

This kind of camaraderie is also being shared among members of other blogging networks. Take, for example, the Mindanao Bloggers, who I would argue are the most voracious bloggers in the country. They organized WordCamp Philippines 2008, the first ever WordCamp in Southeast Asia, and they’re getting ready to organize WordCamp Pinas 2009. Mindanao Bloggers also has several “satellite communities”—groups of bloggers in different cities who are active in the blogosphere and enjoy one another’s company IRL too. Off the top of my head, I can name a few satellite communities of MB: General Santos (the General of the generals is Avel Manansala of Bariles Republic), Davao (with Blogie Robillo leading the pack) and Cagayan de Oro (led by Chiq Montes, WordPress theme designer).

Which brings me to the main point of this blog post: it would be great if my fellow Butuanons got together and created an online community of sorts of our own. It would be, as Kuya Blogie put it, an additional satellite community of Mindanao Bloggers. We could offer help, advise and support to one another, both on- and offline. We could organize meetups (Margie’s Kitchen! Pan de Pugon! True Brew!) so we can get together IRL. And who knows, the Mindanao Blogging Summit, iBlog, or even WordCamp, might one day grace the Timber City of the South.

So, here’s the deal: if you are or know a Butuanon blogger, please get in touch with me through my contact page. Include your blog’s URL and links to your accounts on social media sites. For easy sorting, please make the first line of your message “BUTUANON BLOGGER”. Let’s begin networking online—add me up on Twitter, Plurk, Multiply, LinkedIn and FriendFeed. I’m also on Facebook—just search for Dean Lozarie, and should you decide to add me up, please include a personal message indicating that you are a Butuanon blogger and would like to friend up.

Meanwhile, I will be spending much of my Internet time looking up and hunting down my fellow Butuanon bloggers. Wish me luck!

[Photo credits: Anne Jimenez on Flickr]