Raising awareness... one step at a time

With Earth Hour approaching once again, I openly ask supporters of this exercise in feel-goodery just what it is you are hoping to do? Try as I might (and I really don't, admittedly) I fail to understand the whole movement to 'raise awareness' about a particular issue. What exactly does this achieve? How do you know when said awareness has actually been raised? Why settle with mere awareness when it would be far better to advocate for real, lasting change?

The logic appears the follow this general trend:

-note an important or so-called global issue
-claim we have too much (or too little) of something
-do without that something for a designated period of time
-move on with life feeling better about yourself and the belief in your cause

Using this same logic, I am proposing the following international campaigns.

White Hour. Canadians have too much winter in this country. On February 15th, simply close your blinds, throw on your Hawaiian duds, and refuse to acknowledge the very idea of the season in general.

Calorie Hour. Yet another in a long line of diet fads. I can raise awareness about excessive calorie intake by not eating anything for the space of 60 minutes. The goal is not too necessarily lose weight, but to let people know that there's a problem.

OxyHour. One could argue that more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could be depleting the overall oxygen in the atmosphere. People around the world can choose a designated hour and collectively hold their breath for about a minute. Alternatively, we could breathe helium mixtures instead which would be way more fun.

Any takers?