I always look forward to Earth Hour every year, as an opportunity to burn as much electricity and fossil fuels as possible. Use extra toilet paper on every wipe, leave my car idling in the driveway, crank Eve of Destruction by Barry McGuire on the stereo, flush the toilet as much as possible even when not necessary, and so on and so forth. If other people are going to be slacking off, the rest of us need to pick up our work boots and make up the difference. Have you been putting off a home improvement project that requires the frequent use of several different power tools? Try Earth Hour! What appliances do you have that consume the most electricity? Wait until Earth Hour to cook dinner, and cook something in the oven that takes a long time to cook. There are lots of ideas out there, harness your imagination!
If there are people out there that are going to do this whole blackout routine, then the rest of us need to pull up the slack. We need to make up the difference, such that when the eggheads review the results from the power grid, there is no measurable impact. Otherwise, they are going to use this as evidence for pushing policy, and the last thing we want is Elizabeth May running around telling us to live in the dark all day every day. People, turn on the lights. There is a reason for opposition beyond symbolism. We don't want to give them provable quantifiable results, to back up whatever misguided hypothesis they had in the first place!
haha We turned on all our lights last year too. And I plan to this evening :) I just don't get the idea of earth hour -- before it and after it, we run electricity. In the days weeks and months before and after, we run electricity... What exactly is it making us aware of? That we can over-use our stove or order pizza to have a party in the dark with booze and candles we purchased before Earth Hour, in stores using up gobs of electricity 24 hours a day? Yay! Maybe we can even go shopping for a special outfit to wear during the party.
ReplyDeleteYeah. Headlines like, 'Fun and festive ways to celebrate Earth Hour.' really make me angry. It sounds like they're talking about Christmas when they talk like that.
ReplyDeleteOn CBC and CTV - last night they were showing school kids singing about turning out the lights (and it wasn't the Nelly Furtado song) and this one kid was really mad at the other kid who was screaming in her ear - didn't really look like they were drinking the Kool-Aid.
Also, this morning, they were talking about what a great idea it was to dim the lights for an hour, and using eastern hemispheric countries to show us what was already happening today. I think it's hypocritical for a TV station to push this, when they run multiple cameras, satellites, tvs, etc. all day every day...
So Its time for Earth Hour, that let’s all feel good but do nothing fund raising campaign for the multi billion dollar World Wildlife Federation.
ReplyDeleteA great con job, with tons of free advertising by all the wannbe green to go along media.
“It invites people to become sanctimonious do-gooders by turning off trivial appliances for a trivial amount of time, in service of some ill-understood abstract concept of “the Earth,” all the while hypocritically retaining the real benefits of electricity. People who want to do without electricity in service of some symbolic solidarity with nature should shut off their fridge, stove, microwave, computer, water heater, lights, TV and all other appliances for a month, not an hour.
And pop down to the cardiac unit at the hospital and shut the power off there too”
http://tinyurl.com/ygjqwq3
Read the whole thing and turn on every frik’n light.
Every possible electrical appliance and every carbon based fuel consuming device that I own will be blazing away merrily during earth hour.
ReplyDeleteThis is just another one of those gimmicky, do nothing events that every herd-following, brain impaired idiot will be participating in simply because it is the "trendy" thing to do to make all the losers feel part of something symbolic and inclusive so as to bring meaning to their poor wretched lives which seem to be meaningless unless they have the latest craze to join.
I can't resist. I can just see all these sheep sitting in the dark, giggling and tee-heeing like this thing was some hour long pajama party. All the time telling themselves how truly nouveau and tres chic they are.
ReplyDeleteRe: "Wait until Earth Hour to cook dinner, and cook something in the oven that takes a long time to cook." Cook NOTHING in the oven. But if you feel you must do something purposeful put it on Self Clean. You'll be able to use your electric meter as a fan (the dial will be turning so fast). Preemptively exhaust the fumes by turning on the hood fan (to high if you can handle the noise) before you smell the charring of the cheeses.
ReplyDeleteNext year I am going to make a note to take down my Christmas lights the day after Earth Hour.
I'll be celebrating Human Achievement Hour with gratitude!
ReplyDeleteEarth Hour just makes me shake my head. Especially when I see my otherwise intelligent friends falling for the feel-good hypocrisy.
No concert to attend too?
ReplyDeleteOne thing for sure that we know of, CBC lights have been off for decades.
Back to back hockey game on tonight on CBC. so much for the earth hour.
It boggles my mind that I see friends complaining one day about people trying to make them use less water (ie my friends in the most arid and hottest parts of Oz), and then I saw yesterday that some became a Fan of Earth Hour on FB... what?? They b*tch on there all time about being called 'water wallies' for using more than other regions do, then go celebrate Earth Hour. Mind boggling drones! (sorry friends, but it's true)
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't change anything come Earth Hour.
ReplyDeleteNot one thing.
There are lots of ideas out there, harness your imagination!
ReplyDeleteThe trick is to combine as many energy consuming activities as possible. For example, try taking a bath while making toast, listening to the radio and curling your hair with a curling iron. Let me know how that works out for you.