Earth Hour - March 29th (this Saturday)

[Schwa.]

Hey everyone, just a reminder to shut off all lights, computers etc this saturday from 8-9pm.

Sydney spearheaded this last year and 1 hour of lights off was the equivalent of taking 48,000 cars from the roads for 1 >hour<!

Candlelight acoustic jam anyone? could be a good warm up for the Diesel Dog/Rose Garland show at PPJ's this w/e.

Edited March 27, 2008 by Guest

[NewRider]

HOLY FUCK IT'S APRIL?!?!?! I'VE BEEN A MONTH BEHIND ALL YEAR?!?!!?

[Schwa.]

oh shit! i meant March....fixed thanks dude

Edited March 27, 2008 by Guest

[NewRider]

Thank god!

[AD]

Sydney spearheaded this last year and 1 hour of lights off was the equivalent of taking 48,000 cars from the roads for 1 year!!!

I don't think I believe this stat.

Earth Hour is such a crock drop in the bucket. [color:purple]Now everyone can feel all good because they've saved the Earth. Hopefully people can remember this one mobilized hour across the globe and repeat for the 8759 other hours in the year.

[Velvet]

Saw that post comin'.

[KarinGarage]

every little bit helps, it's better than not shutting everything off for an hour.

[Velvet]

I'm not sure that every bit helps, but I do agree that it's better than not shutting off everything for an hour.

[Freak By Night]

I can't wait to watch television, crank the heat, and roast a turkey in the dark.

[Schwa.]

Sydney spearheaded this last year and 1 hour of lights off was the equivalent of taking 48' date='000 cars from the roads for 1 year!!![/quote']

I don't think I believe this stat.

Earth Hour is such a crock drop in the bucket. [color:purple]Now everyone can feel all good because they've saved the Earth. Hopefully people can remember this one mobilized hour across the globe and repeat for the 8759 other hours in the year.

I'm not gonna debate it much. Do it if you want, or don't do it cuz you don't feel it will do much. I got the stat from an article i read here.

Take it for what you will, debate how it will do nothing. IMO even if this stat is only 1/2 correct it is still something....and by NO MEANS do i feel this is saving the earth or making myself feel better about something, just participating in a movement that is helping to bring awareness to millions of people cuz we have to start somewhere. (Velvet are you a spectator? )

[Velvet]

I think all this stuff is a great idea, and much like alternative energy sources, it requires a myriad of solutions working together to make it work. Sure turning the lights off an hour a year does little, sure taking reusable bags to the grocery store does little, sure driving a hybrid car does little, but twenty years ago almost nobody was doing any of these things. Nowadays, lots of people are doing these things. It's gotta add up.

That said, I lean towards the "it's too late" camp as far as Earth goes, though I still try to keep things from getting worse how and when I can. If a guy has a hundred bullet holes in him a band-aid ain't gonna help. Hell, a thousand band-aids won't help. But I ain't gonna go shoot another hole in him neither.

[AD]

Lazy reporting is gonna further the notion that people are doing more than they actually are.

Drop in the bucket. Not a bad idea, but not really all that grand considering what the real challenge is.

The environmental effect of the reported drop in electricity consumption in the Sydney central business district was reported rather optimistically by Sunanda Creagh in The Sydney Morning Herald as being the "equivalent of taking 48,613 cars off the road for one hour". Melbourne Herald Sun columnist Andrew Bolt, displaying a perhaps firmer grasp on the true economic significance of the event, noted that this meant taking a paltry six cars off the road for a year.

[Fista]

I guess it all depends on how you see the situation. I think that figure is astounding and it certainly shouldn't be downplayed.

I am going to take part because it matters to me. Although the number isn't enormous, it can't be denied that six cars can chug out alot of junk over the course of a year.

[Velvet]

Keep adding drops to the bucket and it will eventually overflow.

[AD]

except that the first number was 8760 times larger than it should have been. so yes, it shouldn't be downplayed by anyone, but it shouldn't be exaggerated by sloppy journalists either.

i'm gonna participate too because it's a start and it's better than not participating.

[Schwa.]

figure fixed, sorry brah.

[AD]

wasn't your fault, no need to apologise.

hope the event goes well

[Schwa.]

if sitting in the dark playing guitar and drinkin' beer can be considered an event

[\/\/illy]

if sitting in the dark playing guitar and drinkin' beer can be considered an event

The greatest one of all.

[Freak By Night]

You know what I think would go a long way toward saving a lot of energy? Something I saw in my travels in Europe 4 years ago:

- escalators that don't move until somebody steps on.

- hotel rooms where the electricity won't come on unless you're actually in the room, and if you open the door or window the air conditioning shuts off automatically.

If more hotels and businesses implemented these simple measures in North America, it would be like taking thousands of cars off the road.

Not to put down Earth Hour, every "drop in the bucket helps", and I will participate. I'm going to be in Philadelphia this weekend, it will be interesting to see if Earth Hour is observed.

[Velvet]

One place I stayed in Cuba had a similar feature. Your room key had to be inserted in a slot for power to come to the room. If you weren't in there, no power would be on.

[Birdy]

The room key thing was all over my travels in Europe... i think it's great!!

Another great thing is hotel rooms without alarm clocks, instead the tv turns on when it's time for your wakeup call.

One thing that drives me INSANE is packaging.

Why have a box around a tube of toothpaste? Or a bag for a bag? Mind-boggling. A friend of mine works for a pharmaceutical company and has a basement full of 'useless' products that just get thrown away because of some kind of damage to the packaging. The box around the toothpaste has a tear in it, so the whole tube goes to waste. The deoderant label has a tiny scratch in the top corner, so the entire deoderant is useless and gets tossed. Can't there be some kind of discount store where these items are sold? Seriously!!

And we think we're making progress.

I won't be home for earth hour, so everything will be shut off. If I was though, it'd still be shut off. I liked Velvet's analogy of the seriously wounded guy with a hundred bullet holes in him. Even though a bandaid isn't going to do much, i still think buddy would like it if someone was *trying* to help him. That stuff always counts for something.

[ollie]

IMO even if this stat is only 1/2 correct it is still something....and by NO MEANS do i feel this is saving the earth or making myself feel better about something, just participating in a movement that is helping to bring awareness to millions of people cuz we have to start somewhere. (Velvet are you a spectator? )

But are there really still millions of people out there who *aren't* aware of the problem? You mean the Live Earth concerts last summer didn't work? I know it's an old saw but the resources used to put those shows on, broadcast them, all the people consuming and producing waste... were they really worthwhile then?

I can't help but think that while people at the grass roots level have their hearts in it, the real wave for things like this are pushed by corporate interest looking to make their brand more attractive. And just because that's cynical doesn't mean it's wrong.

I'll be turning off, FWIW.

[phorbesie]

people might be aware but just might not be bothered to change their routine. but once they see that others are doing it, they might follow along to fit in. like lemmings also when companies notice that other companies are benefiting from green policy, they get on board too.

[Tooly]

there are alot of fawkers out there that just dont care.

considering how much ice broke off antartica yesterday or the day before, i say we have "Earth Hour" every damn weekend!