Earth Hour

[Shredder]

Since this is in the news now and I feel that environmental issues are important, what do you guys think about Earth Hour? On Saturday, March 28, everyone should turn off their lights from 8:30-9:30 (local time) as a reminder of the importance of conserving energy. Landmarks and businesses worldwide will also be turning off their lights. Personally, I'm going to try and remember to participate. :)

More information can be found here: http://www.yahoo.com/s/1050075

[Andrew NDB]

Just a way for people to feel good about themselves for one day out of the year, while accomplishing nothing. The root cause problems are pretty fundamental.

[ThirdMarioBro]

So Earth Day has been demoted to an hour?

[NightwatchersOnlygirl]

Will it happen in the U.K

[Scandia]

You bet I will be participating. However, I will start at 8PM because my favorite TV show starts at 9PM.

[SassyGal]

I'll be turning off my lights tonight.

[愛]

I usually keep my lights off in my apartment, anyway. I have multiple Earth Hours a day, man.

[Warhorse]

I won't, because this is just stupid. And I doubt all of the restaurants, malls, bars, night clubs, movie theaters, the block party going on down the street, on a Saturday Night none the less, are going to participate either.

[Brodie]

And you're about as smart as those people are.

[Type 97 Chi-ha]

Just a way for people to feel good about themselves for one day out of the year, while accomplishing nothing. The root cause problems are pretty fundamental.

I thought you might want to note that though "tree huggers" is now a derisive term, the original practicioners weren't hippies or even environmentalists in the true sense of the word. They were ordinary citizens in India who lived near a forest where a company, without local permission, was going to cut down all the trees. The only immediate method for the locals to stop the lumberjacks as they were about to do their work was to wrap themselves around the trees, hugging them, so the lumberjacks couldn't cut them down. I don't know what eventually happened, but the tree huggers did at least delay the trees from being cut down.

[Raph's Girl]

So Earth Day has been demoted to an hour?

Earth Day is in April

Sydney, Australia started this whole thing in 2007. All shops, malls, restauraunts participate. San Fransisco, Tel Aviv, Dublin, Bankok, Dubai, New Zealand, and many other countries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Hour#2008_Participants

In Tel Aviv, Israel, a free open air concert by Knesiyat Hasekhel was held at Rabin Square. Power needed for the concert was generated by a group of cyclists pushing pedal generators. The rest of the power was supplied by generators burning used falafel oil for power :lol:

[Peanut]

You bet I will be participating. However, I will start at 8PM because my favorite TV show starts at 9PM.

This made me lol so hard for so many reasons.

[Candy Kappa]

I turn the lights off at night, and in rooms I'm not in and when I'm not home.
Wow I feel good about my self now

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

I think many television channels could go off air too.

[thebrownranger]

Playing guitar in the dark is no fun for sure.:P

[BoggleKng]

This might have worked if there was some publicity..

[Jester]

Or if Al Gore did it too. :roll:

[thebrownranger]

Speaking of which, whatever happened to the guy?

[Bigfoot]

He turned off the lights. Just as I will do, to feel better about myself...

[Ninjinister]

I thought you might want to note that though "tree huggers" is now a derisive term, the original practicioners weren't hippies or even environmentalists in the true sense of the word. They were ordinary citizens in India who lived near a forest where a company, without local permission, was going to cut down all the trees. The only immediate method for the locals to stop the lumberjacks as they were about to do their work was to wrap themselves around the trees, hugging them, so the lumberjacks couldn't cut them down. I don't know what eventually happened, but the tree huggers did at least delay the trees from being cut down.

</unnecessary history lesson>

[Roland]

Earth hour is also in South Africa. So i guess it will also happen in the Uk.

[Type 97 Chi-ha]

</unnecessary history lesson>

I mentioned it only to show the original tree huggers were not the hippie-dippie types. In fact they were ordinary citizens who were saying, "These are OUR trees and you can't cut them down!"

[Voltron]

In 2004, the Earth, by way of Indian Ocean and temperamental tectonics, washed away over 200,000 souls in one of the greatest deluges we have ever seen. Today, people are begging to save the murdering wench we so affectionately call "Mother Earth." Bah! I've been burning coals on a battery for a week and salted my lawn in protest. Let her burn, baby!

[Spitfire]

I find this pointless. My energy bill is less then 30 a month with 3 of us living in my apartment. I keep all my lights off during the day and open a window and at night I only have lights on in rooms I'm in.

If people want to conserve energy they just need to stop being stupid and turn lights off when they leave rooms or open the blinds instead of turning lights on. I personally get annoyed when someone turns a light on in a room with sunlight obviously seeping in through the windows. They also need to stop leaving crap plugged in over night to charge. Not only does that destroy your battery but it wastes even more power. So does leaving the TV on all night. TVs have sleep timers, I fall asleep with my TV on every night, it's not difficult.

[Ninjinister]

If people want to conserve energy they just need to stop being stupid and turn lights off when they leave rooms or open the blinds instead of turning lights on. I personally get annoyed when someone turns a light on in a room with sunlight obviously seeping in through the windows.

Not all of us live in states where sunlight is abundant. At least I hope you're not like my dad... whenever I turn on a light at his house, unless it's pitch black outside, he yells at everyone.

TVs have sleep timers
I obviously have old televisions.

[Spitfire]

Not all of us live in states where sunlight is abundant. At least I hope you're not like my dad... whenever I turn on a light at his house, unless it's pitch black outside, he yells at everyone.
You could switch to all energy saver bulbs as well if you run into that problem but unless your only awake at night, especially during the summer, it's not going to be so dark outside everyday that you had to have lights on all the time. Those energy saver bulbs also save money on your electric bill and aren't as annoying to white balance to when you film.


I obviously have old televisions.

You might. I used to have an old TV from I think 1960 or 70 that didn't have one but every TV I've used since has had it. Some DVDs players don't though, modern ones even. My old Panasonic DVD player has one and my newer Sony one doesn't. My receiver does though.

[Jester]

I had a DVD player that had a sleep timer, a cheapy Wal-mart Durabrand player...when I "upgraded" to the Durabrand "Home Theater Kit" the new DVD didn't. I figured the same compant would have the same feature. I loved the DVD sleep timer. :(

[Ninjinister]

You might. I used to have an old TV from I think 1960 or 70 that didn't have one but every TV I've used since has had it. Some DVDs players don't though, modern ones even. My old Panasonic DVD player has one and my newer Sony one doesn't. My receiver does though.

I have one TV from the '90's and one from about 2003. My 2003 one might have that option and I just haven't tinkered with it, but I know the '90's one doesn't for a fact.

I'm not home most of the day during the week, so I don't have anything on mostly. It's just the fact that I live in Washington, where on days like today, where there is sunshine, is rare.

[Machias Banshee]

While Earth hour is a noble effort, I think if everyone just cut down a little of energy usage every day, that could do more of a difference than this one hour during the year. But with so many electronics in use these days, all needing their batteries charged and whatnot... I'm not surprised that many people didn't take part in it.


We didn't take part in the earth hour, just cuz... well, we've always got the lights off. We've usually got one or two lights on at Most during the evening - for the entire house. Plus, there's some things we just Can't turn off - Mom's O2 machine, for example. But otherwise, the house is 80% dark most of the time.

As for light bulbs, we don't use the 'energysaver' bulbs... if you break an incandescant bulb, you gotta worry about broken glass. You break one of those... you've got yourself a mercury situation that requires HAZMAT services.