This past weekend, before putting my child to bed, I turned out all the lights in my house.  By 8:20, when I emerged, Earth Hour had begun.  For the next 40 minutes, I read by candle light and slowly but surely my body relaxed into sleep.  By the time I could, with a clear conscious, turn my lights back on I actually had no desire to do so.  All I wanted to do was go to sleep.  Without the awake-inducing distraction of lights, computer, and the general visibility of the pile of dishes in my sink, my body began its nightly shut-down much earlier than usual.  For once, I got a full night’s sleep.

This weekend made me realize that not only does turning off as many lights at night as possible reduce my energy consumption, but it allows me to wind down sooner and more effectively.  This doesn’t mean I’ll be reading by candle light every night.  But at sundown, I will be relying on a single table side lamp instead of multiple overheads.   Like most environmentally conscious choices, turning off my lights is healthy for the earth and healthy for my body.