Madam, – I had looked forward to Earth Hour since my friend’s business class made awareness posters about it. On the way to school we all admired her poster and, after discussing it, agreed the whole thing was a brilliant idea.
I was already picturing myself holding a single candle like in Victorian times and later walking through streets with blacked-out houses and dimmed street-lights.
With a lantern in hand I couldn’t wait to see the second half of my imaginings become reality. So when my mum suggested going for a walk, I immediately agreed.
We set off and my sister and I counted the houses with and without lighting. I thought I had the easier job, but before we reached the end of our street I had counted 20 lit-up houses to her five dark houses. Before long I gave up looking hopefully from window to window and consoled myself by grumbling about how selfish these people were. Many of the houses that were dark looked as if no one was there. By the end of the walk we had found just two houses in which we were sure that people we using torches or candlelight.
The ESB will know for certain, but I hope that the people of Dublin, and on a broader scale, Ireland, put Ranelagh to shame on Saturday night. If we all behaved with the same disregard for the Earth’s resources as I witnessed, it would be extremely disappointing. – Yours, etc,