Did you observe Earth Hour on Saturday? We joined countless others in turning off lights and electricity for an hour, and found it so refreshing that we're planning to make it a weekly rather than annual tradition!

At 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, my partner and I turned off the lights, television, and computer and settled down to experience an hour of unusual darkness and silence. After awhile, we lit a couple of natural candles and were joined by the cats, who sauntered into enjoy the cozy living room atmosphere. Our conversation turned to many things – imagining life in the "olden days," making plans for the new apartment we're moving to next month – and it all seemed so much more special without the distractions of light and noise.

By the end of the prescribed hour, we realized we enjoyed it so much (and, of course, were glad that we had contributed in some small way to the global stand against climate change) that we decided one of the rituals in our new apartment will be a weekly Earth Hour. We might eat dinner by candlelight, play board games, or just sit and talk. We even wonder if it might have have longer-term effects on our electricity use as we realize how much we appreciate a simpler environment without so much external stimulus.

How about you? Was Earth Hour enough, or do you ever deliberately go without electricity?

Related: Uh Oh...Blackout: Living Without Electricity

(Image: Flickr member The Shopping Sherpa licensed under Creative Commons)