Someone IMed me today to remind me that Earth Hour was tonight (I had forgotten, such a bad American!). For those who didn't know, now you do. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... iggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' />
You can find out more about Earth Hour at their Official Website
This year, Earth Hour has been transformed into the world’s first global election, between Earth and global warming.
For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.
This meeting will determine official government policies to take action against global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol. It is the chance for the people of the world to make their voice heard.
Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.
In 2009, Earth Hour is being taken to the next level, with the goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote. Unlike any election in history, it is not about what country you’re from, but instead, what planet you’re from. VOTE EARTH is a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community. A call to stand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday.
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[quote name='sadude' post='63026' date='Mar 28 2009, 05:16 PM']Just the lights? I can keep my computer and TV on? <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... iggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' />[/quote]
I was told you can turn everything off or just your lights. Me, I wont be home at the time so I don't have to worry about it so much. :3
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I'm sorry, but hahahaha what. ever. This kind of stuff makes me roll my eyes. I heard some guy came all the way to NYC to see all of Broadway's lights get shut down but apparently only one lousy billboard got shut off? Lol.
I spent Earth hour taking a nap. But it quickly turned into 3 Earth Hours. I'm just THAT dedicated to the environment.
I think doing it for just one hour is silly. And I think it would be much more helpful if people turned off electricity during the day, when that bright sun in the sky can provide natural light... >.>;
Last edited by mizer_unmei on Sat Mar 28, 2009 11:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
[quote name='furuya' post='63053' date='Mar 29 2009, 01:18 AM']There is a 0% chance I will do this. But everyone who knows me already knew that.[/quote]
I honestly think it's not a bad concept. It's cute and makes people feel unity with nameless neighbors. It's not really there to actually properly help planet earth, is it? It's just a morale thing.
Do something small to symbolize caring for the environment? Pssshhh. Instead, I'm going to declare my cool apathy for everything by mocking this idea on the internets! LOLZ.
/jesus people. Cynicism has its limits sometimes..
[quote name='Ap2000' post='63033' date='Mar 28 2009, 03:11 PM']I always found this hilarious. lol
Do they already have numbers ? Oh wait, they can't... they can only compare graphs of power consumptions and take wild guesses.[/quote]
I was talking to someone online about this Earth Hour thing and asked them if they were going to do it. They said flat out no. I jokingly said, oh but don't you want to be united!? And then he pulls out something about genocide and nazi's being united. I went D: and promptly yelled at them in my best CAPLOCKism that comparing an hour of turning off your lights to Nazism was horrible. How someone can jump from one extreme to the other really frightens me.
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[quote name='PQ' post='63070' date='Mar 29 2009, 01:40 PM']I was talking to someone online about this Earth Hour thing and asked them if they were going to do it. They said flat out no. I jokingly said, oh but don't you want to be united!? And then he pulls out something about genocide and nazi's being united. I went D: and promptly yelled at them in my best CAPLOCKism that comparing an hour of turning off your lights to Nazism was horrible. How someone can jump from one extreme to the other really frightens me.[/quote]
I had this obese coworker before going back to school. He mocked the idea that he should take the stairs to give him a few more steps of exercise in the morning ("psh, like walking an extra 10 min a day will drop 50 lbs"). He also would "give up" artificially whenever he ate something ("I hate caramel peanuts on break - well, I guess the day is wasted and I should order a double cheeseburger for lunch"). Or, he would cherry pick random pieces of "scientific evidence" to validate his behavior ("a recent study says dieting is impossible and that our bodies are hardwired to carry a certain weight...so, having a heart attack scare at age 30 is normal"). It was really scary because his health was already seriously compromised but he was so...self-deluded? bull-headd? lazy? to protect himself. I am reminded of him any time someone similarly mocks steps taken to take care of the environment.
In any case, I don't know why people think that being against everything (especially mainstream ideas) automatically gives them special status or proves them to be "smart" or "critical." But being argumentative for the sake of it doesn't always mean you're smart - especially if you're lacking real evidence to support your position. Sometimes it just means you're a big hater. Or fucking lazy.
Last edited by eri on Sun Mar 29, 2009 2:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
We turned off everything in the house (as much as it pained us, cutting off that Pitt/Villanova game, but we PVR'd it <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... deways.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':dammit:' /> ). Last year our neighbourhood actually got pretty dark, it was impressive - this year, things were much more bleak (which is to say, much brighter). More than half of people on our block still had their lights on, compared to maybe 1/4 last year. There was a small gang of kids circling the block chanting "TURN OUT YOUR LIGHTS!" which was kind of funny, if (apparently) ineffective.
[quote name='sadude' post='63077' date='Mar 29 2009, 06:06 PM']I had visitors over, so, uh, we weren't going to sit in the dark for an hour. Is there a make-up date? D:[/quote]
I turned everything off When i tried to spead the message I got laugh at by most everyone I was told it was not there holiday I took a nap for that hour beats sitting in hte dark lol
[quote name='Madara' post='63168' date='Apr 1 2009, 11:39 AM']Actually, turning all the power back on at the end of the hour uses up far more power than was saved by turning it off for the hour.[/quote]
Yeah, pretty much this.
Again, it's not really that they were trying to actually save energy. It was supposed to be a statement of commitment to make the world a better place, just like every other thing like the million man march, and for some reason that's the only example of people coming together symbolically atm haha. But you get the idea.
[quote name='Loop']The pleasures of unwilling flesh[/quote]
I heard certain areas of California and other states do this like, weekly. The utility company will take a certain hour of the day, usually really late at night, and just shut off the power in a certain county or area for that hour and then turn it back on and move to the next area, just to conserve a little energy since their energy costs are so sky-high. They call them blackout days or something. I just found out about that yesterday and it makes this whole Earth Hour thing seem much more pointless. This is just a more neo-hippy version of the utility's much more business-savvy approach.
Last edited by AEUGNewtype on Tue Apr 07, 2009 4:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
[quote name='Madara' post='63168' date='Apr 1 2009, 11:39 AM']Actually, turning all the power back on at the end of the hour uses up far more power than was saved by turning it off for the hour.[/quote]
If this is indeed true, then this:
[quote name='The☆AEUGNewtype' post='63456' date='Apr 7 2009, 07:28 PM']I heard certain areas of California and other states do this like, weekly. The utility company will take a certain hour of the day, usually really late at night, and just shut off the power in a certain county or area for that hour and then turn it back on and move to the next area, just to conserve a little energy since their energy costs are so sky-high.[/quote]
Seems awfully ignorant of those in charge of the utility company. Unless, of course, power does not equate to energy in these two statements. Been awhile since I've had physics.
Last edited by Zounder on Tue Apr 07, 2009 5:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
[quote name='Zounder' post='63458' date='Apr 7 2009, 07:52 PM'][quote name='The☆AEUGNewtype' post='63456' date='Apr 7 2009, 07:28 PM']I heard certain areas of California and other states do this like, weekly. The utility company will take a certain hour of the day, usually really late at night, and just shut off the power in a certain county or area for that hour and then turn it back on and move to the next area, just to conserve a little energy since their energy costs are so sky-high.[/quote]
Seems awfully ignorant of those in charge of the utility company. Unless, of course, power does not equate to energy in these two statements. Been awhile since I've had physics.
[/quote]
Perhaps, I'm no expert on the subject, nor do I make decisions for these companies, I just heard it from a friend who lives there. Also, "power" refers to electricity, and "energy" can refer to either electricity or natural gas service, since both are consumable energy sources. The reason I referred to the saving money when costs are high part as "energy" is because when electricity in a certain area is really high priced, the natural gas market usually follows and vice versa. I work in the natural gas industry, so I've gotten pretty familiar with the terminology.
Last edited by AEUGNewtype on Tue Apr 07, 2009 8:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
[quote name='The☆AEUGNewtype' post='63456' date='Apr 7 2009, 07:28 PM']I heard certain areas of California and other states do this like, weekly. The utility company will take a certain hour of the day, usually really late at night, and just shut off the power in a certain county or area for that hour and then turn it back on and move to the next area, just to conserve a little energy since their energy costs are so sky-high. They call them blackout days or something. I just found out about that yesterday and it makes this whole Earth Hour thing seem much more pointless. This is just a more neo-hippy version of the utility's much more business-savvy approach.[/quote]
But what about people with appliances that have clocks on them? Like clocks? Or clock-radios? Or clock-stoves? Or clock-coffee makers? Do they just turn the power on at 12am? Do blinking lights use more energy than steady lights? Those poor people <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... pyeyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':puppyeyes:' />
I would hate having to reset my clock every time there was a blackout. We get a lot of them in the summer because of the heat and thunderstorms. More so now because there aren't any big buildings around so it's easier for the thunder to strike closer to us. My alarm clock as a 1 minute delay before it shuts off and thankfully it's on a different circuit breaker then the rest of the house so sometimes it's never affected, but still. I HATE resetting it! D:
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