Kudos to our municipal and regional governments and our two school boards for getting on board the Earth Hour bandwagon. This global movement began as a simple gesture a mere year ago, when two million residents in Sydney, Australia, turned off all lights for one hour to enjoy quiet darkness. It happened on March 29, 2007, between 8 and 9 p.m.

That campaign reduced energy consumption in Sydney by 10.2 per cent for one hour. This year, Earth Hour is spreading around the globe, with cities and towns, businesses and individuals taking the initiative to flick off the switches on all non-essential lighting for one hour.

It is really quite a unique approach, the brainchild of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), to raise awareness about the impact of global warming. What is so unique about it is it allows each and every one of us to participate in our own little way.

That kind of inclusive event can engage us all in making a difference on behalf of the environment. There is a web site in which your family or your business can sign up and be counted. It’s www.earthhour.org, and it contains all the background and answers you need, as well as ways you and your family can make a difference.

If your kids haven’t already urged you to sign up, sit down with them and sign up together. When you do, you automatically get your own URL that allows you to track your carbon footprint and receive tips and tools on ways you can reduce your personal impact on global warming.

It’s a fun, interactive and informative way to become involved in a worldwide initiative, and it doesn’t cost a cent. According to the web site, as of 11 a.m. on March 19, 373 people from Oshawa had signed up; 36,293 from Canada; and 138,129 from around the world.

How more inclusive can you get? So, join the global movement to address the urgency of global warming. Be part of the solution, and be counted on a global scale.