Let me get this straight. We are supposed to turn all the lights off on Saturday, March 29, from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. and huddle in the dark for an hour?

This is to “deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming”.  But I hope people and businesses don’t stop there, and forget what Earth Hour is trying to achieve: to get us to change our energy-squandering ways, permanently.

Here are six things we all can do, and six things we wish our governments would do, to reduce greenhouse gases, not just for an hour, but over and over.
1)    Hang the clothes on a line or radiator to dry.
2)    Use a push lawn mower and shovel the snow.
3)    Hand wash the dishes (careful not to let the hot water run).
4)    Turn off the power bars at night.
5)    Turn off the lights when not in use.
6)    Take more family walks, not drives.
7)    Design bicycle lanes on Big Bay Point Road and other arterial roads.
8)    Legalize safe basement apartments to intensify Barrie and reduce sprawl.
9)    Mandate covers on gasoline pump nozzles to reduce fugitive emissions.
10)  Stop subsidizing vehicle fuel from food and promote fuel from waste.
11)  Ban drive-through idling.
12)  Tax fuel-guzzling vehicles for personal use, reward car-pooling.