

Earth Day isn't for nearly a month, but tonight you've got an opportunity to help the environment by doing something very simple: turn off all the non-essential lights and appliances in your home for an hour, starting at 8:30pm local time.

Earth Hour began in Australia two years ago, and has since spread across the world, organized by the World Wildlife Fund. My family participated last year, using candles and a wind-up flashlight to provide illumination while the four of us played games at the dining room table. I suspect it has a lot to do with the games, but my kids are really excited about doing it again.

If you've got kids, get them involved—explain to them about global warming, and why millions of people turning off lights and electrical appliances for an hour really does help the environment. That, of course, is in addition to the primary goal of sending the message that sustainability is vital to the health of the planet. I know it's tough for us geek families to turn off the computer for a whole waking hour, but if mine can do it, so can just about anyone's.

Please leave comments with your suggestions (family-friendly, please) about what do with the TV-less and computer-less hour.