Apparently some people don’t have the time or energy for a full-on Earth Day — for them, there is the oh-so-convenient Earth Minute which is apparently makings its debut on May 20.

On May 20 at 4:17 p.m., billions of people around the world will hold their collective breath for a full sixty seconds, preventing tons of CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere. After Earth Minute is up, they will all go back to their normal lives polluting and impacting the environment, at least until Earth Minute comes back around next year (or until someone comes up with Earth Second).

Scientific question: don’t all those CO2 emissions go up accordingly as soon as those 60 seconds are over and everyone breathes out? Is there any way to measure the supposed lack of carbon emissions? Will frivolous acts only serve to minimize and trivialize the true importance of daily eco-awareness? (People already complained about the futility of Earth Hour, and at least that gave us gorgeous photographs.)

Have you done something special for the environment today? Bigger question: do you make every day Earth Day? Because as important as awareness is, it takes a lot more than just one day — or hour or minute — to make a truly lasting impact.

Last Friday we posted about Earth Hour — a global event, taking place this past Saturday night, in which everyone was encouraged to turn off their lights for one hour in a bid to make an impact on the environment. It was the subject of much controversy as some rallied behind it while others ranted against it. To the latter: sure, one hour of reduced electricity usage may or may not make a wild life-changing difference, but the true point of this was to get people thinking on a larger scale about what can be done — as an ongoing measure — to help improve our environment.

Despite the naysayers, Earth Hour went as planned, and the result was a heightened awareness of needless electricity waste — and some stunning photographs. Boston.com has images from seventeen landmarks around the globe, both before and after the lights went out. The visual impact of seeing places like Big Ben or the Eiffel Tower powered down is effective, thought-provoking, and a testament to the project’s success. Check it out! You will not be disappointed.

Hat tip to Ecorazzi!

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.