Earth Hour
The World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour Project:
Turn off the lights for an hour and see how much difference it makes. March 29, 2008, 8pm-9pm.
Earth hour website
The project is meant to raise awareness and it shows how easy it is to reduce consumption, I doubt anyone will suffer because of the lack of lights for one hour. And maybe one person doing it won't matter, just like maybe one person attempting to offset the project by consuming even more won't matter. But what if everyone, everywhere did it?
Saskatchewan takes part in Earth Hour, article in the Star Phoenix (Courtesy of Leah). You know even Fox News did a decent story on Sydney's involvement in the movement.
The info in the following two adds is basically the same. Which do you think is more compelling?
Update Part 1: Check here if you are curious about Lurker's reference to the Facebook Earth Hour group in her comment.
Update Part 2: Even Google "turned out its lights"
. I think it's important that influential sites like Google to promote awareness of issues and to have a social conscience. Further, companies will reflect what the public demands. However, I am always in favour of considering opposing views on any issue (it's the basis of science after all) so have a look: here and here (these are just two that happened to pop up associated with the Google lights out thing). The former laments all the conformist idiots who are going along with Earth Hour (what a beacon of original right wing fundamentalist thought, no blind conformity there) and the latter, well he showed us because he turned on his house lights and went for a drive to see all the lights that were still on in Saskatoon. Well he may have a point that a lot of lights stayed on in Saskatoon but he derides the integrity of a couple who had turned out their lights and were sitting in their window with a candle. If these people were doing this so that others would see them don't you think that they may have been doing it because the whole point of the movement is to increase awareness by making a statement? Besides who are you to judge people whom you've never met and know nothing of other than they live in a nice house? Do they drive a hybrid and keep the temperature at 15 degrees in winter? Do they have energy efficient appliances and buy organic local produce? Maybe, maybe not the point is you don't know do you. I also Googled anti-Earth Hour and here is a person who actually started an anti-Earth Hour petition! What is that supposed to accomplish? Lousy Earth! What has it ever done for us eh?!
Update Part 3a: As part of Earth Hour SaskPower has promised to measure today's power use and compare it to another typical Saturday. I'll keep track of the results of this and post it later.
Update Part 4a: The more I think about it (the people trying to "offset" Earth Hour by using more energy) the angrier I feel and I have to rant about it otherwise I won't be able to go back to work. But, before I do, let me say that no one is perfect, and sometimes everyone forgets to turn out the light or leaves the computer on or takes a longer shower than they needed to. It happens because if we perceive an excess of available resources then we want to use them and we tend to waste them, it's human nature. We forget, we are careless, we are human. That doesn't make us bad and everyone does it. But, like many stupid or careless things that we do, we do know better! We know we have to conserve resources so there will be more for later (that's why we have things like agriculture and freezers and Tupperware) and we all know that resources aren't infinite (we've killed off enough tasty or furry or otherwise useful or in the way animal species to know that). If you don't "believe" in global warming or in the Earth Hour movement well whatever, that's up to you, you don't have to participate just go on with your life. Whether you are protesting Earth Hour because you think it is hypocritical or it is useless or you just don't care, you've made your point. Good work! You're a savior of humanity and its right to rape and pillage everything in it's path! We're all free now! Hurray! But where do you get off actually trying to use MORE energy than you would have normally!? What is wrong with you!? That goes beyond jaded or apathetic or indignant (those are at least understandable, there is hypocrisy out there on both sides that fuels it and we all feel it sometimes). It's downright petulant, selfish, and even cruel. Just think about what you are standing for! Even if you don't believe in global warming do you believe in wastefulness, exploitation, or greed? Obviously those are things you proudly stand for. Do you believe that there are people in the world who don't have access to all the same resources that you do? Does it make you feel good to show them that you can choose to maliciously piss away these resources if you feel like it? Do you realize that every bit of energy you waste represents time, effort, and money that could be better spent being actually used for something!? Maybe if more people thought about those things before they acted as childishly as you are acting then we wouldn't need Earth Hour.
Update Part 5: Saskboy also had a few things to say about Earth Hour (I like to give shout outs) and he links to someone else who found the same anti-Earth Hour blogs that I've talked about. I appreciate the irony that people who are against these fools (like me) but went to the sites out of curiosity helped to increased their popularity. Oh irony you're a fickle bastard!
Update Part 3b: Here's a news update, looks like Regina actually used a little more power. SaskPower suggests a cold night may have had something to do with it. I wonder how much power would have been used if it hadn't been Earth Hour? More? Maybe, but if that's true I also have some elephant repellent to sell you. They say they are working on some provincial stats and I'll post that when I find it.
Update Part 4b: I got noticed by the smalldeadanimals website that I linked to about the anti-Earth Hour petition mentioned above. I actually ended up having quite a few people visit my site from the link on her post (see Update 5 re:irony). Anyway one comment specifically mentioned me:
Who knows Johnny, but at least our Kate can count.
Unlike the author of chickensinsaskatoon, updates part 1,2,3,4,5,3?
Did we annoy her that much that she got lost after she ran out of fingers and thumb on one hand?
Posted by: Jim at March 30, 2008 8:40 PM
Jim had a problem with my use of the designation 3' (ie. Update 3 prime indicating a sub group of or linkage to the original Update 3). Mathematical symbology is obviously not his strong suit. Since this is the closest thing to actual legitimate criticism of any of the content of the post, I have altered the post so that it is now the more idiot-friendly "Update 3a" and "Update 3b". I assumed Jim was literate since he reads blogs and wrote the comment so hopefully this will alleviate the confusion.
I'm pretty sure the following comments were about me too. The middle one definitely is anyway, but the first and 3rd may have been general. For the record I clearly refrained from implying that the SaskPower results would show anything (positive or negative). In 3b I called attention to the Regina results on purpose, I didn't hide or avoid the issue (I didn't even mention how Canada's larger participating cities all showed a marked decrease in power consumption i.e. Toronto's was 8.3%) because I thought it was interesting. I simply relayed what the article said and I was even sarcastically pessimistic about it. In addition, I wasn't actually mad at people who were refraining from participating in Earth Hour (they have the right to be conscientious objectors if they wish, for whatever reason), I was mad at people trying to actively offset Earth Hour. There is a difference and I believe I specifically belabour this point in the post and in my replies to the comments (even expressing my respect for a skeptical individual who did not feel the need to "offset" Earth Hour like some petulant child). If you are going to criticize me, at least criticize me for things that I actually say (like that petulant child remark, you can go nuts on that, hey it isn't politeness on blogs day anymore so what the heck). Is this a commentary on the reasoning behind "skeptic" arguments perhaps? Nah, that would be an unfair generalization so let's not interpret too much from these:
The leftist bloggers sure work themselves up into a frenzy over SDA. Their foot-stomping overwrought emotionalism is something to behold. How dare we not get with the program? It's offensive enough for a complaint to the HRC.
Yikes - the left is really up in arms about this aren't they? All high and mighty and huffy that people would dare NOT participate in Earth Hour.
I found it funny how the first leftie blogger was all excited over how Sask power would PROVE that it had been a success, then the justification of colder temperatures when it wasn't.
And - I thought RT had quit blogging - Is this not about his 5th reincarnation? He is as indecisive as the hapless Dion.
Posted by: Alberta Girl at March 31, 2008 9:22 AM
The lefties, the gaia followers, have went right off the deep end about this. To work themselves into a lather because someone told them they didn't want to sit in the dark like a mushroom, because they didn't believe in that shit, is sending them over the edge.
I am having a hard time believing something as stupid as not participating in a gaia celebration, is enough to make them want to throw stones at us.
Posted by: Honey Pot at March 31, 2008 9:34 AM