World Wildlife Fund is asking individuals, businesses, governments and organizations around the world to turn off their lights for one hour – Earth Hour – to make a global statement of concern about climate change and to demonstrate commitment to finding solutions.

It’s a great idea, but for some reason a lot of people seem to be railing against it — some complain that it overhypes the “lie” that is global warming, while others simply don’t want the “guilt” of having to think about the earth for one hour of the day.

I don’t want to seem insensitive, but with Earth Day and Arbor Day, aren’t enough hours covered? Can’t I have a few hours to myself to crank up the heat and watch a hockey game? I recycle, I drive a car that gets 30 miles per gallon. Haven’t we treated the Earth better over the last 20 years? Don’t we deserve at least a few shame-free watts of electricity for our efforts?

Seriously? You have plenty of those — they’re called the other twenty-three hours of the day, plus every other day of the year that isn’t Earth Day or Arbor Day. (That brings us to a whopping 49 hours to think about conservation, is that really too much?)

Check out the Earth Hour website for more information on things you can do to make a difference, from reading about the issues to writing to the president and sharing some ideas of your own. Take a few minutes out of your busy day to get informed and make some impacting choices. Contrary to some opinions, those minutes are truly the least one can do.

Nothing brings credence to a cause quite like having A-list celebrities behind it, and Diane Lane is apparently joining in and taking up the reusable bag mantle. At an Oceana fundraiser in Laguna Beach this past weekend, Lane spoke up about the simple step she’s taking to make the oceans a better place.

At an environmental fundraiser in California for Oceana, an organisation dedicated to protecting and restoring the world’s oceans, The Perfect Storm actress explained her commitment to going green has started with reusable shopping bags.

“I’m getting there, I have made the transition and it’s good,” she said. “I keep my reusable bags everywhere. I’m known as the bag lady and I don’t care.”

Oh, you go girlfriend. She then went on to explain what’s in it for us to take a stand on the environment and the future of our oceans.

If we all make a very slight adjustment then we can all still have some whales, some walruses, and be able to swim in the ocean [and] not die from eating the food we’re fishing out of the ocean. People are becoming sick and don’t know it. The governments aren’t going to tell you anything about it, what’s in it for them?

All valid points, Ms. Lane. Well said. Not to mention: glad to have you on board.

How dreamy is that? Any time celebrities cast in their lot with an environmental cause, people listen, and to have such a heavyweight as Edward Norton cast in with ours in this National Geographic PSA slot is pretty magical. All I can say is that if Norton says to pick up some reusable bags, it’s time to pick up some reusable bags.

I mean, unless you want to make Edward Norton angry. But… well… you probably wouldn’t really like that, now would you?