Saturday, March 31, 2007

Earth Hour

It's just hours away (in this part of the world) but from our friends down-under comes an opportunity to participate in an activity to draw attention to our use of resources and how it relates to Global Warming. Earth Hour was organized by the WWF in Sydney. From 7:30 to 8:30pm on Saturday, March 31, Sydneysiders were encouraged to turn off their lights, appliances and other electric what-have-yous. As the hour has actually come in Sydney you can see images of the skyline before and after. This, like any effort, is part of a larger goal of sustainably and consistently lowering our use of resources and, therefore, the strain we put on the planet that keeps us alive. Don't expect to see major cities beyond Sydney darken noticeably on the appointed hour, but don't discount the importance of wide public interest and participation. This just might be the start of something big.

5 comments:

RobScott24 said...

Earth Hour was fairly disappointing in my opinion.

There were still plenty of corporate lights gleaming away, and there were no entirely black towers, though the world tower was remarkably bright!

Rob Scott

Anonymous said...

I'll try it tonight at our home. We are having a dinner party and we'll switch to candles at 7:30 pm til 8:30 pm. Anyone else game?

justin said...

I know that the Sydney CBD (Central Business District) could've been darker. There could've been a more complete adoption of the effort. Still, it was a marked improvement over the status quo. To top that off, it has drawn attention throughout the world. I have no doubt that such an effort will be taken as a challenge by other cities and that Earth Hour may live up to its name in the future. Sure, it may not have saved as many tonnes of CO2 as had been hoped but I feel it has nonetheless been a successful endeavour. Thanks Rob, for both your comment and link to your perspective on things.

Good to hear there's another convert here (well) north of the equator. I'll be giving it a go. :)

Anonymous said...

a report on our light free night. Lights were off until 11 pm. Candles were great and fun was had by all. Yay less energy consumption! Any one else take the challenge?

les

justin said...

I did some reading by candle light. I'm happy to hear that so many people took to your Earth Hour and made it into an Earth (3.5) Hour(s). :)