Daylight Saving Time 2006 begins Sunday morning, April 2, at 2:00 a.m.

That's when we set our clocks forward one hour, thereby giving us one more hour of daylight in the evening. Daylight Saving Time continues until Sunday, October 29.

Just as sunflowers turn their heads to catch every sunbeam, so too have we discovered a simple way to get more from our sun.

We've learned to save energy and enjoy sunny summer evenings by switching our clocks an hour forward in the summer.

Some people like Daylight Saving Time, others don't. A poll conducted by the United States Department of Transportation indicates that Americans like Daylight Saving Time because there is more light in the evenings and they can do more in the evenings.

Daylight Saving Time also saves energy. Studies by the U.S. Department of Transportation show that Daylight Saving Time trims the entire country's electricity usage by a small but significant amount, about one percent each day, because less electricity is used for lighting and appliances.

The idea of daylight saving was first introduced by Benjamin Franklin during his time as an American delegate in Paris in 1784. In a pamphlet by London builder William Willett (1857-1915), titled "Waste of Daylight," Willett days, "Everyone appreciates the long, light evenings. Everyone laments their shortage as Autumn approaches; and everyone has given utterance to regret that the clear, bright light of an early morning during spring and summer months is so seldom seen or used."

Don't forget to set your clocks forward one hour before you go to bed Saturday night. It will take us about a week to get used to that hour we lose on Sunday morning, but then we can enjoy the extra daylight.