I encourage you to join millions of people around the world tonight in observing Earth Hour. From 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. turn off all your lights and unnecessary electrical devices, in a gesture acknowledging you understand and will continue to do something about the urgent need to, individually and collectively, reduce our use of fossil fuels.

Ostensibly this is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the climate disruption they cause. Even if this weren’t the case, I would suggest it’s important we acknowledge there is a finite supply of these fuels on the planet, and we have no right to burn through most of it in 300 years, leaving none for the use of future generations. That kind of thinking is relatively new to us, but it’s the type of thinking we must do now that we’ve filled the planet with 7 billion of us. This intergenerational golden rule is one of the bases of my quest for our civilization to achieve sustainability. . . .

Tomorrow at 8:30 pm people around the world will be turning off their lights for one hour in a symbolic gesture. What does that symbolize? On the plus side, it’s a symbol of widespread awareness of the impact of humankind’s activity on the climate. It also serves as a reminder  each of us has the power to make a difference, and when large numbers of us do something, it adds up. For those reasons I’ll be participating in and supporting Earth Hour.

The truth-teller and cultural critic in me, however, also feels compelled to comment on how we can and should improve on Earth Hour. Obviously, we need to extend our awareness and our actions to the other 8,759 hours of the year. If your family observes Earth Hour Saturday night, please gather in the dark and make plans for how you will shrink your footprint throughout the year. If all you do is douse the lights an hour each year, you are wasting your time. . . .

Today’s guest post in our series honoring the 40^th anniversary of the landmark Limits to Growth study is by William Rees. Rees, along with Mathis Wackernagel, originated ecological footprint analysis. My interview with Dr. Rees for GrowthBusters was one of the last conducted before completion of the film. I left that interview thinking I could have saved myself a lot of time and trouble – rather than devoting six years to funding and producing the film, I could have simply recorded this interview and released it. In 40 minutes Bill Rees covered, knowledgeably and eloquently, nearly every topic in the film!

This is part of a paper William Rees presented at the Institute for New Economic Thinking Annual Conference in Bretton Woods one year ago. INET is doing some great work exploring what a sustainable economy looks like and how to get there. The institute’s next annual conference is a few weeks away. . . .

Job creation is THE mantra of every elected official and political candidate these days. Indeed, just about any act – even if foolish or dangerous – is considered desirable if it “creates jobs.” A classic example is this ad campaign funded by the American Petroleum Institute, an oil and natural gas industry trade association:

Today, the industry attempts to gloss over legitimate questions about the public safety of hydraulic fracturing techniques (“fracking”), and misdirect our attention to the creation of jobs and energy independence. Nothing can stand in the way of jobs and cheap, plentiful energy! Job Creation has replaced apple pie as the all-American icon. . . .

One of the joys of growthbusting has been the discovery that living lighter on the planet is very consistent with other values I’ve come to embrace in my quest to live a fulfilling and meaningful life. A constant goal in my life is to be present in the moment, stepping out of the frantic thought patterns that come with life in pursuit of the high-consumption American Dream. Rick Heller has made this connection and has created a website, www.seeingtheroses.org, and a series of videos to help others discover joyful living doesn’t require an iPad, iPod, iPhone, iMac, a Lexus and weekends in Cabo or Vegas. Today’s commentary in our Limits to Growth 40th anniversary series is from Rick. . . .