http://green.yahoo.com/blog/greenpicks/236/flick-your-switch-off-for-earth-hour.html Will you be powering down for an hour tomorrow?
its from 8:30-9:30, during Rockets game? Come on guys we gotta save the planet! Captain Planet, Hes a Hero! Gonna take pollution down to zero!!! <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FjRlp1wgQWw&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FjRlp1wgQWw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
I'd much rather jump up and down every single day of the year because I turn lights off in my house I'm not using anyway. Wow....I'm so special...and so socially aware.... The power plants that power all these lights don't burn less coal during Earth Hour because people have turned their lights off, so I don't see any benefit. I guess its more symbolic than anything else. I just get ticked off of these greenies who go on about one single hour in the entire year and then will go home to their Plasma TV and leave that on all day.
so, is everyone going to be burning candles for an hour? isn't this going to also be a negative for the environment?
F that. My lights are off until I get home from work. I've done way more than my hour. I do it out of concern for my electric bill, not the environment. I drive a Hybrid car to save gas, not the environment.
What I don't get is this... I've been using the CFL's since 2000, turning off lights when not in the room my whole life, and purchased all Energy Star appliances and electronics since they've been available, stopped buying bottled water except for "must use" situations... keep my tires inflated, check my gas cap often, etc... And to no real avail... or so the media would seem to suggest. For what? I did these things to save a dollar here and there. If more people would be money conscious, more energy would be saved anyway. Why should skyscrapers be allowed to leave lights on in every other office of the 60 floors they have? Shouldn't all the rooms be required to be retro-fitted with motion sensor switches like I have in my hallway at home? What gives? Are people that stinkin' unaware of how easy it is to save money/energy/the planet? Really? I doubt "Earth Hour" will catch on until people are living at the edge of choosing between lights and cable. And with our current consumer mentalities it may end up that way, no matter how many "greenies" are out there. BTW- My lights were out all together, save 3 LED nightlights and 2 CFL's for a grand total of 27.5 watts for that hour. Problem is... we were out eating at a place with extra lighting effects that, by far, exceed exponentially the usage I would at home. But they will use those lights anyway. I blame 24 Hour Fitness, 24 Hour Super Center Walmart, and any other 24 hour thing, hospitals, hotel lobbies... They are the culprits in world energy abuse. What happened to the good old "Sorry, We're Closed.... will return at __:__ AM" signs?
Yes. Or they just don't care, or (as in many things) they focus on the hype and 'rebel' against that and ignore the original issue, or they get political or bitter and backlash against it thinking they are making a statement (i.e. Imma turn all my lights on during Earth hour!). So most people just tune it out. When in reality, it's a lot like you said; even if a person just wanted to do it for selfish reasons, or just didn't think it would help in any way, or just didn't care, it still might save them a little cash.
I already turn the power off (except for my alarm clock, microwave, and fridge) for 8 hours every night...
